BRICS Summit begins in China, Modi-Xi likely to meet

The 9th BRICS Summit began here on Sunday, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to meet on the sidelines of the three-day event.

The Modi-Xi meeting, which both sides have indicated, comes after a dragging border row ended last week.

On Saturday, Modi, slated to arrive in Xiamen later on Sunday, said he would also meet other BRICS leaders.

Xi and Modi last met bilaterally during June's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

They met informally at G20 in Germany the following month amid the border crisis.

Modi might raise Pakistan's terror links at the event. China has said the summit was not the appropriate place to discuss the issue.

Modi will attend the BRICS restricted session and its plenary session on Monday.

The session is expected to focus on the global economic situation, international economic governance, national security and development, and international and regional issues.

The proposed BRICS rating agency will be one of the key agenda issues.

The five-member bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was formed in 2006.

--IANS

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