PM Modi and Xi Jinping Hold High-Stakes Border and Trade Talks at New Delhi BRICS Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi for his first visit to India in seven years to attend the BRICS Summit, holding high-level bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discussions centered on border stability, trade, economic investment, and the broader trajectory of India-China ties.

Border Stability and the ‘Three Mutuals’ Prime Minister Modi underscored that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains a prerequisite for the normalisation and steady development of bilateral relations.

• Commitment to Pacts: PM Modi stressed the necessity of adhering strictly to existing border protocols and agreements, remarking that “differences should not become disputes.”
• Guiding Principles: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that discussions were anchored in the principle of the “three mutuals”—mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.
• Border Resolution: Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary issue, prioritizing long-term political and diplomatic perspectives.

President Xi on Strategic Cooperation President Xi highlighted that China approaches its relationship with India from a long-term strategic standpoint. Noting that this was their 21st bilateral meeting, Xi pointed out that as the two most populous nations and prominent representatives of the Global South, both countries carry a shared obligation to foster an equal, multipolar world order. He added that both nations have the capacity to learn from one another’s strengths to achieve common development.

Diplomatic Background The summit-level dialogue builds upon ongoing diplomatic engagements, including a meeting in Tianjin and recent Special Representative talks in Beijing between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi focused on border delimitation and stability.

Following the dialogue, PM Modi noted via social media that the two leaders conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral ties and conveyed his best wishes to China for its upcoming BRICS presidency.