China Confirms Xi Jinping for New Delhi BRICS Summit, Third Xi-Modi Meeting in Three Years

China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will attend the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi and deliver a speech, as Beijing outlined its priorities for the grouping and its expectations for a fresh round of leader-level engagement with India.

At the summit, Xi is expected to exchange views with other leaders on the international situation, the development of the BRICS mechanism and ways to deepen practical cooperation. Beijing said it will put forward initiatives aimed at giving strategic direction to what it calls the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and expressed willingness to work with partners so that the grouping's cooperation advances steadily and contributes to a community with a shared future for mankind.

On the sidelines, China and India are arranging a bilateral meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It would be the third year in a row that the two leaders have met, following their encounters in Kazan and Tianjin. Beijing said it is ready to follow the strategic guidance of both leaders, approach ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, strengthen communication, expand cooperation and manage differences, describing the two countries as friends committed to good-neighbourliness and partners that contribute to each other's success.

Asked about the summit agenda amid continuing conflicts in the Middle East and between Ukraine and Russia, China said it advocates a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable vision of security and supports the political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue. It added that it looks forward to working with BRICS members to encourage all parties to resolve disputes through negotiation and to jointly safeguard regional and global peace and stability.

On other issues, the foreign ministry said it was not aware of the specifics of a report by US artificial intelligence company Anthropic alleging that an operation linked to China had misused its models. It said China promotes the development of AI for good and for all, while firmly opposing any distortion of facts or attacks and smears against the country.

Responding to a question on Taiwan official Hsiao Bi-khim's visit to Italy, China said it had made solemn representations to Italian and European sides. It described the visit by a Taiwan independence politician as contemptible and futile, reiterated that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and said it opposes any form of official interaction between Taiwan and countries that maintain diplomatic ties with China. It called the one-China principle a basic norm of international relations, a prevailing consensus and the political foundation of China-Italy and China-EU relations, urging relevant parties to uphold it through concrete actions.

On the Hong Kong Alliance case, after a Hong Kong court handed down sentencing decisions, China said the city is a society governed by the rule of law and that the central government firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in safeguarding national security and acting against acts that endanger it in accordance with the law. It urged relevant parties to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, stop making irresponsible remarks about judicial proceedings in the SAR and stop interfering in Hong Kong's judicial affairs and China's internal affairs.

China also confirmed an increase in visa fees for Japanese citizens travelling to China, saying its embassy in Japan had issued a notice and that the adjustment was made on the principle of reciprocity.

On South Korea's revised law strengthening measures against industrial espionage, which took effect over the weekend, China said the government has always required Chinese companies to conduct international cooperation in compliance with international rules and laws. It added that all countries should ensure companies can carry out normal investment and business operations and should provide a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory business environment.