Let India and China turn differences into development: Xi tells Modi

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday said India and China should strengthen cooperation, learn from each other’s strengths and work towards shared development, signalling a cautious effort to improve ties between the two Asian powers.

Speaking during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Xi said the relationship between the two countries should be viewed from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Xi stressed the need for both sides to maintain communication, manage differences appropriately and expand areas of cooperation. He said India and China could draw on each other’s strengths and work together to promote development.

The meeting comes amid a gradual thaw in relations that have been strained since the deadly 2020 border clash in eastern Ladakh. While the two countries have taken steps to ease tensions along the frontier, significant differences, including the unresolved boundary dispute and an imbalance in bilateral trade, remain.

Modi and Xi have held several high-level interactions in recent years as both sides seek to stabilise relations. Their latest meeting also comes as India hosts the BRICS summit, giving the two leaders an opportunity to discuss cooperation within the grouping as well as broader bilateral ties.

Xi’s visit to India is his first since 2019 and is being closely watched for signs of a further reset in relations between New Delhi and Beijing.