Modi-Xi Jinping Meet at BRICS Summit: India and China Push for Reset in Ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, in a significant diplomatic engagement aimed at stabilising India-China relations after years of tension. The meeting was Xi’s first visit to India in seven years.
The talks focused on rebuilding trust, maintaining peace along the disputed Himalayan border and expanding economic and people-to-people ties. Both sides indicated that the relationship should be viewed from a long-term strategic perspective rather than through the prism of individual disputes.
Modi stressed that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain essential for the continued development of bilateral relations. India also emphasised three principles to guide the relationship: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
Xi, meanwhile, said China and India should regard each other as partners rather than rivals. He called for the two countries to draw on their respective strengths, support each other’s development and contribute to a more multipolar world.
A major issue discussed was the long-running boundary question. The two leaders expressed commitment to pursuing a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution and reiterated the principle that differences should not be allowed to turn into disputes.
The economic relationship was another important element of the discussions. India and China agreed on the need to address trade imbalances, improve market access and tackle supply-chain concerns. They also highlighted the importance of business links, cultural exchanges and greater mobility between the two countries.
The stakes are substantial. Bilateral trade reached a record $155.6 billion in 2025, but India continues to run a very large trade deficit with China. Indian imports from China have risen sharply, while Indian exports to the Chinese market remain comparatively limited.
The meeting comes after the deadly 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh, which killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers and sent bilateral relations to their lowest point in decades. Relations began cautiously improving after the 2024 disengagement agreement, but substantial military deployments and unresolved boundary negotiations remain.
The BRICS setting added wider geopolitical significance to the meeting. India is hosting the summit this year, while China is set to assume the BRICS presidency next year. Modi conveyed his best wishes to Xi for China’s upcoming BRICS chairmanship, signalling an interest in maintaining coordination within the grouping.
The meeting therefore represents an important thaw, but not yet a full normalisation, in India-China relations. The immediate challenge for both governments will be translating diplomatic statements into progress on the border, trade, visas, connectivity and other outstanding issues.
The encounter also underscores the growing importance of India-China cooperation within the Global South, even as the two countries continue to compete strategically in Asia. Xi’s call for greater cooperation and Modi’s emphasis on border peace suggest that both sides see stabilising relations as beneficial, while remaining cautious about unresolved differences.
