Xi, Modi reached ‘most important consensus’ that India, China should be partners: Wang Yi

A DAY after Chinese President Xi Jinping wound up his first visit to India in seven years, the Chinese foreign ministry said that Beijing will work with New Delhi to implement the “important common understandings reached between the two leaders”.

“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has said India has an independent foreign policy…and that India will not allow any force to engage in anti-China activities on its territory. China values PM Modi’s statements,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on Monday after the Modi-Xi meeting in New Delhi on Saturday evening on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said President Xi and PM Modi have reached the “most important consensus” during their meeting that China and India should be partners, said news agency PTI.

Summing up Xi’s two-day visit to New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and his meeting with PM Modi, Wang Yi said the two leaders held a candid and in-depth exchange of views on strategic, long-term and directional issues concerning China-India relations. The most important consensus they reached was that China and India should be partners, Wang told Chinese official media on Sunday, as per the PTI report.

President Xi said China and India can draw on each other’s strengths, support one another, help each other succeed and pursue common development, according to Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The two leaders agreed to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, while the two countries will support each other as rotating chair of the BRICS, Wang said, adding that the Modi-Xi meeting drew widespread international attention.

Following their bilateral meeting, PM Modi expressed confidence that the talks marked the beginning of a new chapter in bilateral relations. New Delhi emphasised that future ties must be guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest, while reaffirming that differences should not become disputes.

Story continues below this ad

As President Xi Jinping landed in New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on Saturday morning, China Southern Airlines announced the resumption of regular passenger services on the key Guangzhou-New Delhi route from September 21, after a six-year hiatus.

The developments come in the wake of a broader understanding between New Delhi and Beijing after the border agreement in October 2024. Direct air service between the two countries was suspended following the Covid-19 pandemic and tensions after the Doklam and Galwan standoffs; the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra had also resumed in 2024, post the border understanding.

The two sides had agreed on a number of steps towards easing tensions after the meeting between PM Modi and President Xi in September 2025. Earlier, they had met in Russia’s Kazan in 2024. On Saturday, they held their third meeting since the breakthrough in ties.

During his Delhi visit, President Xi was accompanied by Wang and Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Bureau.

Story continues below this ad

The improvement in China-India relations has been welcomed by over 2.8 billion people of both nations, Wang said, adding that it represents an essential pillar of strengthening cooperation across the Global South.

He also said the border issue should be viewed in proper perspective within the broader context of the bilateral relationship. Wang said PM Modi offered a positive response, affirming that India has always approached India-China relations from a strategic and long-term standpoint.

They also agreed to support each other’s BRICS chairmanship, strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the G20, advance cooperation across the Global South, promote a more multipolar world order, and together serve as a stabilising, progressive force in an era of global uncertainty, Wang said. China takes over as the BRICS chair for 2027.

On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the BRICS Summit in India signified the “strong convening power of Modi’s India”, as most of the delegations were represented at the head of state or the head of government level.

Story continues below this ad

He cited the names of presidents of Russia, China, Iran, South Africa, Indonesia, Egypt, as well as the Abu Dhabi crown prince and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia. “And all of them, as you also would have seen from the footage and coverage of the event, had very strong personal rapport with Prime Minister Modi,” he said.

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More