India and China must be partners, not rivals, Modi and Xi agree at Delhi summit

India and China should view each other as partners rather than rivals. That is the "most important consensus" reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral talks at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The meeting, held on Saturday evening, marked Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. It represents the latest step in a gradual diplomatic thaw between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, whose relations fell into a deep freeze after deadly border clashes in 2020.

According to Wang, both leaders held a candid and in-depth discussion on the long-term direction of their relationship. Xi told Modi that their nations should draw on each other's strengths and help each other succeed, Wang told Chinese state media. He quoted Modi as saying that India views China’s development as an opportunity rather than a challenge.

The Chinese foreign ministry also claimed that Modi reaffirmed India’s independent foreign policy, telling Xi that New Delhi would not allow any force to engage in anti-China activities on Indian territory.

The Indian government’s account of the talks was more cautious. While New Delhi agreed on the need for a strategic, long-term perspective, it stressed that future ties must be guided by "three mutuals" — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.

The Indian side also made it clear that maintaining peace and tranquillity along their disputed border remains absolutely essential. Modi called for adherence to existing agreements and a fair, mutually acceptable resolution to the boundary question, while reiterating that differences must not be allowed to become disputes.

Yet, there are concrete signs that the diplomatic frost is melting. Just as Xi arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, China Southern Airlines announced it would resume regular passenger flights between Guangzhou and New Delhi on 21 September. Direct flights had been suspended for six years, cut off by the Covid-19 pandemic and military standoffs in Doklam and Galwan.

This renewed engagement follows a critical border agreement reached in October 2024, which helped ease frontline military tensions. The two leaders have now met three times since that breakthrough, including a meeting in Kazan, Russia, in late 2024 and another in September 2025.

Speaking on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing is ready to work with New Delhi to implement the decisions of both leaders and "make the cooperation list longer." Beyond border issues, both sides discussed trade imbalances, supply-chain concerns, and the need for predictable market access.

For India, the summit was also a showcase of its growing diplomatic weight. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the gathering proved the "strong convening power" of Modi’s India, pointing to the presence of world leaders including the presidents of Russia, Iran, and South Africa, as well as the prime minister of Ethiopia.

As part of their diplomatic bargain, both countries have pledged to support each other’s rotating BRICS chairmanships. China is scheduled to take over the chair in 2027.