President Xi set to attend two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi

President Xi Jinping departs for India for the upcoming two-day summit of the BRICS grouping and is set to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on cementing bilateral ties and strengthening cooperation in economy and trade.

Some analysts say Xi's recent foreign travel flurry is meant to add to China's bargaining chips in his meeting with US President Donald Trump late September.

After skipping last year's summit in Brazil, President Xi Jinping is reportedly heading a 400-member delegation to the BRICS gathering for his first visit to India in seven years.

The milestone event marks the 20th anniversary of the cooperation mechanism.

Last week, the Chinese leader attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in Kyrgyzstan and concluded a state visit to Egypt.

The back-to-back multilateral engagements converge on the theme of forging solidarity across the Global South.

As Professor Sonny Lo from the University of Hong Kong points out, the intensity of Xi's diplomatic missions bears testament to China's pivotal role among developing countries.

He says driven by an anti-hegemonic narrative, the visits are poised to reinforce Beijing's countervailing weight to tip the scales in its strategic chess match with Washington.

Xi made the call during the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia that "The Global South emerges for development and prospers through development, we should make ourselves the main driving force for common development."

This year, Xi is expected to put forward important Chinese initiatives and provide strategic direction for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, according to the foreign ministry.

The current international situation, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, is also high on the agenda.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has touched down in the Indian capital Friday morning.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is among the leaders expected to attend.

New Delhi is heavily fortified as barricades, checkpoints, and traffic curbs are placed across urban centres.

The local government declared a public holiday on Friday to keep cars off the road and limit movement in the capital city.

Millions of residents are urged by authorities to work from home where possible and plan their journeys in advance, but the restrictions pose severe challenges to office workers, delivery drivers and daily wage earners.

A young delivery driver says they will prevent many workers from earning for several days. Some have called on officials to ensure that security measures for foreign dignitaries do not come at the expense of locals.