Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a speech during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, on September 1, 2025
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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tianjin for a regional security summit that China hopes can counter Western influence in global affairs.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping attends Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (October 24, 2024) told leaders of BRICS emerging economies the world was facing “serious challenges” and urged the group to be a “stabilising force”.

Mr. Xi was speaking on the final day of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, a forum Moscow hopes will help forge a united front of nations against the West.

Addressing assembled leaders, Mr. Xi said the “common march of the global South towards modernity is a major event in world history”.

“We must be a stabilising force for peace, strengthen global security governance and explore solutions to hotspot issues that address both the symptoms and the root causes,” Mr. Xi said.

“The world still faces serious challenges to its peaceful development,” he warned.

He also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the prevention of further conflict in Lebanon.

“We need to continue to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, relaunch the two-state solution and stop the spread of war in Lebanon,” Mr. Xi said.

“There should be no more suffering and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addresses a press conference in New Delhi on October 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In a dramatic development, India and China have reached an agreement on “patrolling arrangements ” and a resolution of the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) , the government announced on Monday (October 21, 2024). The patrolling arrangement agreement extends beyond the areas along the LAC where there has already been a disengagement of military personnel over the past few years, and include the so far unresolved areas of Demchok and Depsang, sources told The Hindu, indicating that the India-China standoff since April 2020 is now expected to be resolved.

While the MEA did not give further details of the agreement, and whether there would be a reversion to the status quo pre-2020, and whether the “buffer zones” more recently created would continue to exist for patrolling purposes”, Mr. Misri said that the two sides had “reached an agreement on the issues that were being discussed”

The announcement, by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, came amidst a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia for the BRICS summit on Tuesday which he will attend along with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums, and as a result of these discussions, agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the line of actual control in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,” Mr. Misri told journalists adding that the two sides would now take the “next steps” on this.

The timing of the India-China agreement announcement, just a day before the BRICS Summit indicates that a meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi on the side-lines, that has been speculated about is now expected to take place. Although the two leaders met as many as 18 times prior to the Galwan clashes in June 2020 , where 20 Indian soldiers were killed, they have spoken only twice since then, on the side-lines of the G-20 summit in Indonesia in 2022, and the BRICS summit in South Africa in 2023.

 Mr. Misri did not confirm a meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi , he said that government is discussing the scheduling of a number of bilateral meetings in Kazan, the venue of the BRICS summit.

“[BRICS] is a multilateral event, though, of course, there is always a provision for bilateral meetings on the sidelines. We are currently looking into the overall program of the Prime Minister. There are a number of requests for bilateral meetings, and we will update you on the bilaterals as they evolve, as soon as feasible,” Mr. Misri told journalists when asked, not denying that a meeting with the Chinese leader was among those.

Mr. Misri, who was previously India’s Ambassador to China, and was no doubt, a key part of the recent negotiations, did not give further details of the agreement between both sides. He referred to recent meetings that had led to the breakthrough, which include two meetings between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese FM Wang Yi in June-July, two meetings of the WMCC mechanism of diplomatic and military officials in July-August, followed by a meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Mr. Wang, who is also the Special Representative on border talks in September. These were followed by intense negotiations of military commanders and MEA officials in the last few weeks. With Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi’s travels to Russia for the BRICS confirmed, a deadline appeared to have emerged for the negotiations to conclude with a result. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, cneter, visits the Gu Wenchang memorial hall in Dongshan County in the city of Zhangzhou during an inspection tour in southeastern China’s Fujian province. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping has inspected a brigade of the military’s strategic missile force that underwent a massive purge of officials for corruption in recent years, according to a media report on Saturday (October 19, 2024).

Prez Xi on Thursday (October 17, 2024) visited at Hefei the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force, a key arm of the military operating the missiles, including nuclear weapons, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He urged the strategic missile troops to strengthen their deterrence and combat capabilities and resolutely fulfil the tasks entrusted by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people.

The Rocket Force, established in 2015 as part of Prez Xi’s military overhaul, has been at the centre of the latest anti-corruption campaign targeting the military.

Besides heading the ruling CPC and the Presidency, 71-year-old Prez Xi also heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military.

His visit to the Rocket Force, which operates the country’s most powerful long and short-range missiles, was considered significant due to the massive purges seen at the key military arm driven by alleged graft at its top echelons in recent years.

The unspecified allegations against many of its officials included the use of substandard fuel for the missiles.

A host of its officers, including the former Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu, were summarily sacked for alleged corruption.

Mr. Gen Li headed the Rocket Force before he was elevated to the post of Defence Minister by Xi, who later sacked him.

His successor, Gen Li Yuchao, who assumed the role of its commander in 2022, was also removed following graft charges.

In July this year, the ruling Communist Party announced the anti-corruption investigation against Gen Sun Jinming, who headed the Rocket Force.

At least seven past or serving senior military officials from the PLA’s Rocket Force faced anti-corruption probes since last year.

Former Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe, who headed the Rocket Force from its inception until 2017 and later served as the country’s defence minister from 2018 to 2023, was also expelled from the party recently over corruption charges.

Last month, the Rocket Force was in the news after it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean.

The launch tested weaponry performance and military training effectiveness and achieved desired goals, the Defence Ministry said.

The missile fell into expected sea areas, it said, adding that this was a routine arrangement in the annual training plan and relevant countries had been notified in advance.

It is the first time in 44 years that China is known to have successfully conducted an atmospheric test of an ICBM over the high seas. In May 1980, a DF-5 –- China’s first ICBM –- flew more than 9,000 km.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

The leaders of North Korea and China marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on Sunday (October 6, 2024) by exchanging messages that expressed hopes for stronger ties, as outsiders raised questions about their relationship.

The message exchange came as North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding their cooperation while China apparently keeps its distance. Experts say that the level of exchanges and commemorative programs between North Korea and China in the coming months will provide a clue to the exact status of their ties.

In a message sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his government will “steadily strive to consolidate and develop the friendly and cooperative relations” between the two countries, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency.

Mr. Xi, in his message to Kim, said that China is ready to jointly promote “the stable and further advance of the socialist cause in the two countries,” KCNA said.

Since North Korea and China established diplomatic ties on Oct. 6, 1949, their relationship has often been described as being “as close as lips and teeth”. China, North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, has been suspected of avoiding fully implementing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sending clandestine aid shipments to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat and continue to serve as a bulwark against U.S. influence on the Korean Peninsula.

But many observers say China is reluctant to form a three-way, anti-West alliance with North Korea and Russia as it prefers a stable regional security environment to tackle numerous economic challenges and maintain relationships with Europe and its Asian neighbours.

North Korea and Russia have moved significantly closer to each other amid widespread outside suspicions that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. During a meeting in Pyongyang in June, Mr. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, in what was considered the two countries’ biggest defense deal since the end of the Cold War.

North Korea is locked in confrontations with the U.S., South Korea and their partners over its advancing nuclear program. Mr. Kim has said he was forced to expand both nuclear and conventional capabilities to cope with US-led security threats.

On Sunday (October 6, 2024), KCNA reported that Mr. Kim oversaw a live artillery firing drill by cadets of a military academy. After watching the drill, Mr. Kim said training programs at the military academy must focus on “the guerrilla war tactics to wipe out the enemies through rapid mobile and surprise operations,” according to KCNA.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnam President To Lam meet at the Great Hall of the People on August 19, 2024 in Beijing, China on Mr. Lam’s three-day visit to China, his first overseas.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

China’s President Xi Jinping held talks on Monday (August 19, 2024) with Vietnam’s new leader To Lam in Beijing on his first state visit since he took office, Chinese official media Xinhua said.

The meeting signals the close ties between the two communist-run neighbours, which have well-developed economic and trade relations despite the occasional boundary clashes in the energy-rich South China Sea.

China, displaying exuberance over Mr. Lam’s choosing China for his first official trip, said last week it “fully reflects the great importance he attaches to the development of ties between both parties and countries”.

Mr. Lam arrived in China’s southern province of Guangzhou on Sunday (August 18, 2024) for a three-day visit that would include meetings with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other Chinese top officials.

While in Guangzhou, he visited some Chinese locations where former President Ho Chi Minh conducted revolutionary activities.

Last December, China and Vietnam signed more than a dozen agreements when Mr. Xi visited Vietnam.

The agreements, specifics of which were not announced, covered strengthening railway cooperation and development, investments in various fields and establishing communication to handle unexpected incidents in the South China Sea.

In a lengthy joint declaration, both countries said they would work on cross-border railway connectivity, naming three rail projects that included one connecting through mountainous Lao Cai in Vietnam’s northwest to the port city Haiphong and a potential one linking two coastal cities to Haiphong.

The statement mentioned continued support for both countries’ railway companies to further cooperate to improve the efficiency of Vietnamese goods transiting through China.

It also mentioned working on other projects under China’s flagship infrastructure programme, the Belt and Road Initiative. It emphasised investment cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digital economy, green development and other fields.

China and Vietnam forged diplomatic ties in 1950. They established a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2008 that was jointly fortified five years later to extend to more shared international and regional issues of concern.

Chinese security monitors a checkpoint as the Communist Party’s Central Committee holds its third plenum meeting in Beijing, China, on July 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China posted lower than expected growth in the second quarter on July 15, with all eyes on how top officials gathering for a key meeting in Beijing might seek to tackle the country’s deepening economic malaise.

The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, and an ageing population.

Trade tensions with the United States and the European Union, which have sought to limit Beijing’s access to sensitive technology as well as putting up tariffs to protect their markets from cheap, subsidised Chinese goods, are also dragging growth down.

And on Monday, official statistics showed the economy grew by only 4.7% in the second quarter of the year. It represents the slowest rate of expansion since early 2023, when China was emerging from a crippling zero-COVID policy that strangled growth. Analysts polled by Bloomberg had expected 5.1%.

Retail sales — a key gauge of consumption — rose just two percent in June, down from 3.7% growth in May. “The external environment is intertwined and complex,” the National Bureau of Statistics said.

“Domestic effective demand remains insufficient and the foundation for sound economic recovery and growth still needs to be strengthened,” it added.

Party is planning “major” reforms: Xi

The figures came the same day that China’s ruling Communist Party kicked off a key meeting led by President Xi Jinping focussed on the economy, known as the ‘Third Plenum.’

The Chinese leader delivered a “work report” at the opening of the meeting, state news agency Xinhua said. He also “expounded on a draft decision of the CPC Central Committee on further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernisation”, it added. Beijing has offered few hints about what might be on the table.

Mr. Xi has said the party is planning “major” reforms. Analysts are hoping those pledges will result in badly needed support for the economy. “The four-day meeting of the country’s top governing body couldn’t come soon enough,” Harry Murphy Cruise, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, said in a note. But, he said, “while the case for reform is high, it’s unlikely to be a particularly exciting affair”.

“Instead, we expect a modest policy tweak that expands high-tech manufacturing and delivers a sprinkling of support to housing and households,” he added.

Meeting intended to long-term ideas and structural reforms

The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, appeared to confirm lower expectations when it warned last week that “reform is not about changing direction and transformation is not about changing colour”.

Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said the meeting was “intended to generate and discuss big, long-term ideas and structural reforms instead of making short-term policy adjustments”.

The Third Plenum has previously been an occasion for the party’s top leadership to unveil major economic policy shifts.

In 1978, then-leader Deng Xiaoping used the meeting to announce market reforms that would put China on the path to dazzling economic growth by opening it to the world.

And more recently following the closed-door meeting in 2013, the leadership pledged to give the free market a “decisive” role in resource allocation, as well as other sweeping changes to economic and social policy.

Beijing aims for five percent growth this year

Beijing has said it is aiming for five percent growth this year — enviable for many Western countries but a far cry from the double-digit expansion that for years drove the Chinese economy.

But the economic uncertainty is also fuelling a vicious cycle that has kept consumption stubbornly low.

Among the most urgent issues facing the economy is the beleaguered property sector, which long served as a key engine for growth but is now mired in debt, with several top firms facing liquidation.

Authorities have moved in recent months to ease pressure on developers and restore confidence, including by encouraging local governments to buy up unsold homes.

Analysts say much more is required for a full rebound, as the country’s economy has yet to bounce back more than 18 months after damaging COVID-19 restrictions ended.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his speech at a conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Underlining the importance of the “Global South”, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said that the Global South should actively participate in reforming and developing the global governance system and make the global governance architecture more balanced and effective. 

“China’s resolve to stay on the path of peaceful development will not change. We will never take the trodden path of colonial plundering, or the wrong path of seeking hegemony when one becomes strong. We will stay on the right path of peaceful development,” Mr. Xi said, in a thinly veiled attack at the West.

He made the comments at an event marking the 70th anniversary of the “five principles of peaceful coexistence”. 

Mr. Xi said that during the Cold War, newly independent countries aspired to safeguard their sovereignty and grow their national economy and the five principles were included in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements, which jointly had called for making them basic norms for state-to-state relations.

The five principles are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. 

“The five principles of peaceful coexistence were born in Asia, but quickly ascended to the world stage… The Non-Aligned Movement that rose in the 1960s adopted the Five Principles as its guiding principles. Over the past 70 years, the five principles of peaceful coexistence have transcended time and space and overcome estrangement, showing robust resilience and everlasting relevance. They have become open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law,” he added.

Mr. Xi said that of all the forces in the world, the Global South stands out with a strong momentum, playing a vital role in promoting human progress. Standing at a new historical starting point, the Global South should be more open and more inclusive, and join hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said. 

“Together, we should be the staunch force for peace. We should promote peaceful settlement of international disputes, and participate constructively in the political settlement of international and regional hotspot issues. Together, we should be the core driving force for open development. We should restore development as the central international agenda item, reinvigorate global partnerships for development, and deepen South-South cooperation as well as North-South dialogue,” he added. 

Mr. Xi said that countries should jointly uphold the “golden rule” of non-interference, and jointly oppose acts of imposing one’s will on others, stoking bloc confrontation, creating small circles, and forcing others to pick sides. 

The Chinese President said that in the face of new challenges, the authority and central role of the United Nations can only be strengthened rather than weakened. “The purposes and principles of the UN Charter are never outdated, and they are getting ever more important. China advocates the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and China believes in true multilateralism. Our goal is that international rules should be made and observed by all countries. World affairs should be handled through extensive consultation, not dictated by those with more muscles,” he said.

(The correspondent is in China at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association)

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda is in China on a visit that brings the leader of a NATO member to a country that has backed Russia in its full-on invasion of Ukraine.

“I am trying to maintain friendly relations with China, Poland has always had decent relations with China and I would like that to be continued,” Mr. Duda said in an interview on private Radio Zet on June 21.

He was scheduled to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on June 24 and has said peace in Ukraine will be discussed.

Asked if he believes that China is holding a key to peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mr. Duda said: “I think that to a large degree, yes.” While China says it is neutral in the fighting, it has blamed NATO’s expansion for provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion and has maintained robust trade and diplomatic relations with Moscow. Poland borders Ukraine and has provided refuge for those fleeing the fighting and maintained a hard line against further expansion of Russian aggression.

Mr. Duda said he will also talk to Mr. Xi about Belarus exerting migration pressure on the border with Poland, as a form of hybrid war that also includes cyberattacks. Mr. Duda will also seek a visa waiver for Poles traveling to China and will seek possibilities of increasing Poland’s exports there, to balance their trade relations.

State Statistics Poland said 13.9% of the nation’s imports last year were from China, while Polish exports to China were just a fraction of that amount. Some trade agreements are to be signed during the visit.

On Wednesday, Mr. Duda will fly to the financial hub of Shanghai to attend a Poland-China economic forum.