The ninth BRICS summit, a meeting of the heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was held in 2017 in which Chinese city?

Introduction / Context:
This question comes from international relations and summits, a standard area in general awareness. BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies, and their annual summits often generate examination questions about hosts, themes and declarations. The ninth BRICS summit took place in China in 2017, and the exam tests your ability to recall the specific host city within that country.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The summit mentioned is the ninth BRICS summit.
- The year is 2017 and the host country is China.
- Options list Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chengdu and Wuhan.
- We assume the question refers to the official BRICS summit of heads of state, not some other meeting.

Concept / Approach:
The concept here is memorisation of major summit venues and years. Often, non capital cities are chosen to showcase regional development. In 2017, China selected Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian province, to host the ninth BRICS summit. Candidates can learn these details from current affairs notes and by noticing which cities repeat in news coverage around major diplomatic meetings.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that BRICS summits rotate among member countries and that the 2017 edition was held in China. Step 2: Remember that news reports referred to the Xiamen declaration, which is named after the host city. Step 3: Link the phrase Xiamen declaration directly with the ninth BRICS summit. Step 4: Compare this with Beijing and Shanghai, which are major Chinese cities but did not host the BRICS summit in 2017. Step 5: Eliminate Chengdu and Wuhan as there were no widely reported BRICS declarations named after them for that year.

Verification / Alternative check:
A reliable verification method is to think of the headlines discussing the Xiamen declaration on issues such as terrorism and trade. Summits are often associated with the name of the final declaration, which usually matches the city. Since you may have read about the BRICS Xiamen declaration in 2017, connecting that phrase back to the city confirms that Xiamen hosted the summit, not Beijing or Shanghai.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Beijing is the capital of China and hosts many events, but BRICS 2017 was not held there and there is no Beijing declaration for that year in this context.
Shanghai is a major financial centre, yet it did not serve as the BRICS summit venue in 2017.
Chengdu has been a host for other international events but was not chosen for this particular summit.
Wuhan came into international focus for different reasons in later years, but it was not the BRICS summit city in 2017.

Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates quickly pick Beijing or Shanghai because they are the best known cities in China and assume that all important summits are held only in capitals or financial hubs. Others may vaguely remember the declaration but forget the city name, leading to random guessing. To avoid such pitfalls, always link summits with their declaration names and host cities during revision, as these combinations are frequently tested.

Final Answer:
The ninth BRICS summit in 2017 was held in the Chinese city of Xiamen.