The visit during which Xi Jinping came to New Delhi to participate in the 11-member BRICS summit is being closely watched, as it is his first visit to neighboring India since 2019 and a significant step in the cautious improvement of relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
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“Both leaders expressed a commitment to seek a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution to the border issue,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement released after the meeting.
Modi “emphasized the need for both sides to adhere to existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues,” it added.
The Chinese leader is visiting six years after a deadly military clash at the disputed border. Since then, relations have gradually improved, with the resumption of flights, visa issuance, and high-level contacts.
The main territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both sides maintain large military forces along the approximately 3,500-kilometer-long mountainous border along Tibet.
On Friday in New Delhi, dozens of Tibetans held a protest – exiles, like their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing Chinese repression in 1959 – waving placards against Xi Jinping’s visit.
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“Differences should not turn into disputes,” the New Delhi Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
It stated that Modi “emphasized that both sides must be guided by three principles of reciprocity – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests.”
China is currently India’s largest trading partner, and bilateral trade in goods reached $151 billion (130 billion euros) in the 2025–2026 fiscal year, according to Indian government data.
“In the field of economic and trade relations, they emphasized the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalances and supply chain issues, and to create more favorable conditions for meaningful and predictable market access,” the Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
According to China’s state broadcaster Xinhua, Xi Jinping stated that both countries can “learn from each other’s strengths” and “pursue common development.”
