India, Sept. 13 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday for leaders of the BRICS nations and other partner countries attending the summit in New Delhi.

Apart from Xi, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was also a notable absentee at the high dinner table, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources. The Prince left for the UAE right after attending the BRICS Summit during the day. Follow BRICS Summit day 2 LIVE updates here.

So while the reason for the Abu Dhabi Crown's absence was known in advance, the Chinese President's decision not to attend the dinner became a source of intrigue and curiosity.

The reason for the absence of Chinese P...