One of the closest-watched interactions at the summit will be between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping. Tensions between the two Asian superpowers have been rising due to an ongoing border dispute and larger geopolitical wranglings.
There are hopes for a Xi-Modi meeting on the sidelines of the Johannesburg summit. Although no official plans have been announced, China’s ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, told reporters that “I am confident that as two nations, two countries, we will have direct talks, direct meetings.”