Modi-Xi meet at BRICS: India, China leaders begin talks amid push to reset ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping began their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, as the two countries seek to build on recent efforts to ease tensions and put ties back on a more stable footing.

Xi’s visit to India, his first in seven years, comes against the backdrop of the prolonged military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and continuing efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to address outstanding border issues.

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The meeting is expected to provide an opportunity for the two leaders to assess progress in disengagement and de-escalation along the LAC and review the broader trajectory of India-China relations.

Border tensions, normalisation in focus

India and China have been working to normalise ties since reaching an understanding in October 2024 on the disengagement of troops at all “friction points” in the Ladakh sector.

However, the process of de-escalation and the withdrawal of troops to peacetime locations remains incomplete. Fresh tensions have also emerged in the Arunachal Pradesh sector following face-offs between troops during July and August.

Modi and Xi are expected to take stock of several rounds of talks between the two sides, including discussions involving the Special Representatives on the boundary question, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) and senior military commanders.

India and China held the first round of military commander-level talks in the eastern sector on September 6 and 7.

Trade imbalance, visa curbs on agenda

The meeting also comes as the two sides seek to address economic irritants. India is expected to raise concerns over China’s visa curbs affecting Indian businesspeople, restrictions on exports of critical machinery and commodities such as fertilisers, and the widening imbalance in bilateral trade.

India-China trade has increased from about $93 billion in 2019 to $127 billion in 2025. Over the same period, India’s trade deficit with China has widened from about $57 billion to nearly $100 billion.

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Despite these concerns, there have been signs of a gradual improvement in ties.

The two countries have made progress towards resuming direct flights, reviving the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and restarting border trade through three designated points.

Xi’s first India visit in seven years

Xi arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the BRICS Summit and was received at the airport by Minister of State for Commerce Jitin Prasada.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India looked forward to constructive discussions with China as BRICS advances cooperation and contributes to a more balanced, representative and multipolar world.

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The Modi-Xi meeting is the latest high-level engagement between the two sides since relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 Ladakh military standoff.

Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi, months before the border tensions erupted. The two leaders have not made bilateral visits to each other’s countries since 2020.