Chinese President leaves for Kazan

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday left for Russia to attend the BRICS summit where he is expected to meet leaders of the member countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines.

Xi will articulate China’s vision for “greater cooperation” of the BRICS bloc, which has now expanded to 10 members, and “open a new era for the Global South to seek strength through solidarity” at the three day summit.

The summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), which now has expanded with five additional members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, is being held in the Russian city of Kazan, about 900 km east of Moscow, from October 22 to 24.

Xi left Beijing for the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi's entourage included Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and the foreign minister, it said.