New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- As Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in India for the BRICS Summit, he was accompanied by a tall, silver-haired official - Cai Qi, widely regarded as China's second-most powerful leader and Xi's right-hand man.
Known for his unusually rapid rise through the Communist Party ranks, Cai's presence alongside Xi underscored the importance Beijing attaches to the visit as it seeks to reset ties with India following deadly border clashes.
In a statement on Saturday, China said Xi's entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Communist Party, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This will be Xi's first visit to India in nearly seven years. However, the presence of Cai Qi, a secretive figure known to work in the shadows, has generated considerable interest.
Off late, Cai Qi has been more visible. He held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tianjin last year for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, and was spotted at the Xi-Trump meeting in South Korea in 2025. When Trump visited China earlier this year, the first man to shake the US President's hand was Cai Qi.
These may be small gestures, but the optics reveal Cai's standing in Xi's eyes.
It is no secret that China offers little insight into how its powerful government works. The sudden spotlight on Cai Qi offers a window into China's power players and how Beijing plans to chart its future course.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.