Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in a brief interaction on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders’ press conference on Thursday.
A video shared by news agency shows PM Modi walking side by side with the Chinese President before they were about to share the stage. The brief interaction comes amid buzz of a one-on-one meeting between PM Modi and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
PM Modi had arrived in South Africa for the 15th BRICS Summit on Tuesday.
The informal chat between PM Modi and Xi Jinping was captured shortly after the five-nation BRICS grouping agreed to expand its membership and invited six other nations to join the bloc.
The leaders of the BRICS nations on Thursday decided to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the new members of the grouping, sealing a long-drawn process.
The decision was announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a joint media briefing along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The new members will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024, Ramaphosa announced.
He said the decision on the new members was agreed upon after firming up the guiding principles, criteria and procedures for the expansion process.
PM Modi said admitting Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members will give new energy and direction to the grouping.
In his remarks, Modi said the decision to expand the grouping will also further strengthen the belief of many countries in a multipolar world.
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