rivals. He received a red-carpet welcome with an honour guard and traditional dancers. The 11-nation bloc's meeting will be dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global trade turbulence and energy security. Xi is due to hold face-to-face talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with both sides seeking what one expert called an "early and substantial harvest" on the border issue. Ties have gradually improved since the deadly 2020 military clash along their disputed Tibetan frontier, through restored flights, visas and high-level contacts. Beijing said it was ready to strengthen communication, enhance cooperation and properly handle differences. Yet the underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, with heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre high-altitude border, and deep mistrust persists over the frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry. Dozens of Tibetans protested in New Delhi against Xi's visit. Modi also embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who warned that pressure on Iran had reached a "critical and dangerous stage." India has turned to Russia to navigate the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran war, despite Western pressure. Modi noted BRICS nations represent 50 percent of the world's population, 40 percent of global GDP and over 25 percent of global trade. The grouping, created in 2009, now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — countries with sharply differing positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel. BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement in May, and one analyst said the Gulf conflict will be the "central fault line," with the bloc's expansion — once seen as an achievement — now looking like "a big constraint." (Bssnews)