India, Sept. 12 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit, accompanied by two of the most influential figures in his political and foreign-policy establishment - Cai Qi and Wang Yi.

Cai, 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, is one of Xi's closest confidants. Wang, China's foreign minister, has been at the centre of Beijing's foreign policy for more than a decade.

Their presence alongside Xi assumes significance as the Chinese president returns to India after seven years, at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are cautiously working to stabilise ties ...