Did PM Modi gift his own portrait to China's President Xi Jinping?
The two-day annual BRICS summit kickstarted on Saturday in New Delhi. Among the attendees are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and more.
BRICS summit 2026 is currently underway in New Delhi with the attendance of several world leaders. Amid several glimpses from the global event online, one has caught netizens' attention, claiming PM Narendra Modi might have gifted his own portrait to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi Jinping reached India on Saturday. His attendance at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi is special primarily. It is his first visit to India in seven years, hinting at a major diplomatic thaw after the 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.
Viral photo of PM Modi and China President Xi Jinping
A photo of PM Modi and President Xi Jinping has now gone viral. In it, the PM and the Chinese Leader are seen holding a portrait of the former.
Yes, PM Modi emphasized that the Global South should transition from being a 'rule-taker' to a 'rule-shaper', actively participating in the formation of global policies and governance.
Sharing the picture, a user on X wrote, “Modi gifted Xi Jinping his own portrait. (crying emoji) Self-Love Level: PMO Edition.”
Fact check
However, the picture turns out to be from 2019. It dates back to the 2019 Mahabalipuram Summit when PM Modi and President Xi Jinping exchanged gifts.
The Chinese President gifted PM Modi a porcelain memento bearing his picture.
Clarifying the same, the official X handle of the Press Information Bureau's Fact Check wing wrote, "A video is being shared online claiming that Prime Minister @narendramodi gifted a portrait of himself to Chinese President #XiJinping #PIBFactCheck."
“The claim is #FAKE. The porcelain memento featuring PM Narendra Modi's image was gifted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to PM Narendra Modi in #Mamallapuram on 12 October 2019,” it added.
