Modi and Xi meet at BRICS summit, pledge to strengthen India-China ties

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on September 12, 2026, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking Xi's first visit to India in seven years. The leaders pledged to stabilize relations, agreeing that differences should not become disputes. Modi emphasized that border peace remains the essential basis for bilateral ties, while Xi characterized the nations as partners rather than rivals. They also discussed addressing India's massive trade deficit, which reached nearly $100 billion in 2025.

Modi-Xi BRICS bilateral talks

• ▪The meeting between Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping in New Delhi marked the Chinese President's first visit to India in seven years
• ▪Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on September 12, 2026, on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Border peace essential basis

• ▪Narendra Modi conveyed to Xi Jinping that peace and tranquility along the frontier remains an essential basis for the continued development of India-China relations
• ▪Narendra Modi underlined the need for both India and China to strictly observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues

Boundary dispute resolution framework

• ▪Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping agreed that differences between India and China should not become disputes, guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest
• ▪Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question

Trade imbalance concerns

• ▪Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping discussed the need to address structural trade imbalances, supply chain issues, and the facilitation of predictable market access
• ▪India's trade deficit with China reached nearly $100 billion in 2025, with bilateral trade growing to $127 billion from $93 billion in 2019

Strategic long-term perspective

• ▪Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping reaffirmed that both India and China should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their bilateral ties
• ▪Xi Jinping stated that China and India are partners rather than rivals, providing development opportunities rather than threats to each other

Global South multipolar cooperation

• ▪Xi Jinping urged high-quality cooperation between China and India to promote a more multipolar world and contribute to global peace and stability
• ▪Xi Jinping called on BRICS nations to play a peacemaking role in West Asia, stating that China would work with other members toward that goal

Debatable claims

• ▪BRICS should position itself as an explicitly anti-Western bloc
• ▪India should condition its broader relations with China on border resolution
• ▪India should ease its restrictions on Chinese investments