Modi-Xi Meet at BRICS Summit: India and China Push for a Cautious Reset
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12, marking a significant step in efforts to stabilise India-China relations. The meeting was Xi’s first visit to India in seven years and came amid a gradual thaw following years of tensions along the Himalayan border.
The two leaders agreed that India-China relations should be viewed from a strategic and long-term perspective. Xi described the two countries as “partners, not rivals,” while Modi stressed that differences should not be allowed to turn into disputes.
For New Delhi, however, the border remains central to the relationship. Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity along the disputed frontier are essential for further progress, and called for both sides to follow existing agreements. He highlighted three principles—mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
The talks also focused on economic relations. India and China discussed the large trade imbalance, supply-chain concerns and the need for more predictable market access. Bilateral trade reached a record level in 2025, but India’s imports from China continue to far exceed its exports, leaving New Delhi with a deficit of more than $100 billion.
People-to-people relations were another area of discussion. Both sides backed greater cultural exchanges, business links and mobility as institutional contacts between the two countries gradually resume. Direct flights, visa arrangements and other exchanges have already begun recovering after years of disruption.
The meeting comes after the deadly 2020 Ladakh confrontation, which caused the deepest crisis in India-China relations in decades. Although military tensions have eased following the 2024 disengagement arrangements, substantial forces remain deployed in the Himalayan region and negotiations over the wider boundary dispute continue.
BRICS adds another important dimension to the engagement. India is hosting the grouping’s 18th summit this year, while China is due to take over the BRICS chairmanship next year. Modi conveyed his support for China’s upcoming chairship, while both countries agreed to strengthen coordination through BRICS and other multilateral platforms.
The meeting therefore signals a cautious diplomatic reset rather than a complete normalisation. India and China appear willing to expand cooperation in trade, connectivity and multilateral affairs, but the border dispute, economic imbalance and broader strategic rivalry remain major obstacles to a full restoration of trust.
Xi’s subsequent absence from the BRICS gala dinner hosted by Modi also attracted attention, although reports said the reason was not immediately known and one source suggested he had returned to his hotel to rest.
