Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday welcomed the steady progress in India-China relations and called for a strategic, long-term approach to bilateral ties during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
The two leaders noted the progress made since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025 and stressed the need to ensure that differences between the two countries do not turn into disputes, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. The Prime Minister appreciated China’s support for India’s BRICS chairship and its contribution to the successful hosting of the BRICS Summit 2026.
Differences should not become disputes,” the MEA said. “He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues,” the MEA said. “On economic and trade relations, they underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access,” the MEA statement said.
They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties. The Prime Minister also stressed that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral ties. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and other senior officials were present during the meeting.
