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Khushboo Razdan

Orange Wang

Mark Magnier

Nayan Seth

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that China and India, as the world’s most populous nations and key members of the Global South, bore “significant responsibilities” in an international landscape “fraught with turbulence and change”.
Xi said that although the countries had different national circumstances, “there is ample scope for us to learn from each other’s strengths, offer mutual support, achieve shared success and pursue common development”.
“Over the past two years, Prime Minister Modi and I have met twice, guiding the relationship from a ‘fresh start’ to a ‘new level of advancement’,” Xi said, according to a readout from Xinhua.
“Institutional exchanges between the two countries have gradually resumed, the list of cooperative initiatives has steadily expanded, and the volume of bilateral trade has hit a new high. This situation was hard-won and deserves to be cherished.”
On the border issue, Xi said that both sides should maintain peace and tranquillity in boundary areas and commit to “parallel development and mutual promotion of bilateral relations and border issues”.
The two sides have sparred repeatedly along their ill-defined border, including the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in which at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
Even the length of the border is not agreed upon, with India recording it at around 2,160-miles (3,476 km) while China puts it at less than half that.




Xi looks to ‘future of humanity’, ‘well-being of our people’
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Brics summit in New Delhi, where trade, investment, the long-running border dispute and the normalisation of ties took centre stage.
“We must keep the future of humanity and the well-being of our people at heart, join hands to drive high-quality cooperation within the expanded Brics framework, advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world and an economic globalisation that is universally beneficial and inclusive,” the Chinese leader said.
Xi also called for both sides to inject greater positive energy into promoting global peace, stability and prosperity.
The Chinese president acknowledged that the two countries, with their combined 2.8 billion people, are in “different” economic and geopolitical positions. But he said they could “learn from each other’s strengths”, offer mutual support, prosper and pursue common development.
China’s economy is currently four times larger than India’s in nominal GDP terms, compared with rough parity in 1987.
Xi outlined a vague four-point plan for future China-India relations that was short on specifics, in keeping with many of Beijing’s foreign policy initiatives.
He called on the neighbours to align on “objective and rational” strategy; engage in “win-win” cooperation; overcome differences through “political wisdom” and mutual understanding; and collaborate to bolster the global good in part by working together in multilateral groupings.
“China and India are partners rather than rivals, and present opportunities for each other’s development rather than threats,” he said, according to Xinhua.
Xi, Modi address lingering China-India border questions
The meeting began at 5.45pm, with Cai Qi, a close aide to Xi and China’s fifth-ranking official, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi taking part.
India was represented by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Vikram Doraiswami, India’s ambassador to China.
The two countries have been trying to turn their fragile diplomatic thaw into a broader reset following years of military tensions, frozen political engagement and sharply curtailed economic and people-to-people links.

New Delhi’s statement on the meeting said the two leaders “reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties”, and that “differences should not become disputes”.
Modi “emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations”, underlining “the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues”.
“The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples,” the statement read.
According to China’s version, India also said it “adheres to an independent foreign policy” and its relationship with China is “not influenced by third parties”, an apparent reference to any role by Washington.
Beijing further noted that India’s policy and stance regarding Taiwan and Tibet-related issues “remain unchanged”, adding that New Delhi “does not permit any forces to engage in anti-China activities on Indian soil”. More than 70,000 Tibetans live in India, including the 91-year-old Dalai Lama.
Xi arrived in New Delhi around midday on Saturday leading about a 70-strong delegation. He is scheduled to attend Sunday morning’s Brics summit session before leaving the country.
A separate Chinese business delegation is also visiting, underscoring the economic dimension of the trip.
The meeting is taking place amid tight security, and Chinese personnel were spotted in New Delhi ahead of Xi’s visit.
Deadly Galwan clash colours China-India relations
The optics of the visit are significant. Xi’s last trip to India was in October 2019, when he held informal talks with Modi. His first trip as leader took place in 2014, and he also took part in the 2016 Brics summit in Goa.
But high-level engagement between the two countries came to a near-standstill after the deadly Galwan confrontation.




The incident led to a multi-year military stand-off along their disputed frontier, with direct flights and several official dialogue channels being suspended.
Pilgrims were also barred from travelling from India to sacred sites such as Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.
The first major political opening came in October 2024, when Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Russia after the two sides reached an understanding on disengagement along the border.
The two leaders also met on the sidelines of last year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
Meanwhile, direct flights have resumed and pilgrims have been permitted to travel to the sacred sites. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination and the Special Representatives’ Dialogue on the Boundary Question have also resumed.
Last month, after the latest border talks between Wang and Doval in Beijing, the two sides issued a rare joint statement, signalling an effort to build momentum ahead of Xi’s India visit.
They also produced an eight-point consensus that included commitments to keep the frontier quiet, create new working groups, add military communication channels and continue talks on pilgrimages, border trade and rivers.
The next round of boundary talks will be held in India in 2027.
The bigger test now may be whether the diplomatic thaw can translate into an economic reset.

Saturday’s Indian statement said the two leaders also agreed to intensify people-to-people exchanges and pledged to address concerns regarding market access, trade imbalances and supply chains, points echoed in China’s version.
Two-way goods trade has continued to grow, exceeding US$150 billion in the latest full-year figures, according to publicly reported customs data. But the economic relationship remains heavily skewed and politically sensitive.
For Beijing, a stable relationship with India could help restore one of its most consequential Asian economic partnerships.
For New Delhi, the question is whether greater economic engagement can take place while it has concerns over market access, trade imbalances, investment and national security.
“India appreciates China’s support for its hosting of the Brics summit and pledges full support for China’s Brics chairmanship next year,” according to China’s readout.
“India is ready to coordinate and cooperate closely with China to strengthen Global South cooperation, promote a multipolar world and economic growth and serve as a force for stability and progress in a turbulent world.”


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Chinese President Xi Jinping with Indian  Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Brics summit venue in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: via Reuters

Commemorations take place on the second anniversary of the Galwan Valley clash with India in 2022. Photo: Weibo

Xi and Modi visit a riverside park development project in the Indian state of Gujarat in September 2014. Photo: Xinhua

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping share a moment at Bharat Mandapam during the Brics summit in New Delhi, India, on Saturday. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Brics, a bloc of developing nations, has increasingly been viewed as a counterweight to Western-led institutions. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to New Delhi for this weekend’s Brics summit. Photo: AP

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Leaders meet on sidelines of Brics summit in New Delhi; Indian statement says they reaffirmed that ‘differences should not become disputes’


Leaders meet on sidelines of Brics summit in New Delhi; Indian statement says they reaffirmed that ‘differences should not become disputes’.


Xi tells Modi China and India bear ‘significant responsibilities’ as Global South powers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Leaders meet on sidelines of Brics summit in New Delhi; Indian statement says they reaffirmed that ‘differences should not become disputes’

Leaders meet on sidelines of Brics summit in New Delhi; Indian statement says they reaffirmed that ‘differences should not become disputes’