Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Sunday briefed the media after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
“The situation on the boundary will be reflected in some way or the other on overall ties. Modi and Xi were of the view that differences between India and China should not be allowed to be turned into disputes. PM Modi underlined the need for peace and tranquility in border areas for continued and smooth development of ties,” Misri said.
The bilateral meeting took place five days after Washington imposed punishing 50% tariffs on Indian goods due to New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil.
“PM invited President Xi to the BRIC Summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's full support to India's BRICS presidency,” Misri added.
On trade, the foreign secretary said, “There is a large and ongoing trade deficit between India and China. This has been a matter of discussion over several years. Growing trade between the two countries and narrowing of the deficit will contribute to a change in perception in the relationship as well. But this is a discussion that is going on at many levels.”
China-India ties could be "stable and far-reaching" if both sides focused on viewing each other as partners instead of rivals, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported Xi as saying.
Progress on connectivity was also noted. “Operational issues remain on restarting direct flights, addressed in coming weeks. An agreement has been reached on restarting direct flights,” Misri said, adding that India had “received understanding and cooperation from China on cross-border terrorism.”
Modi and Xi’s principles for ties
During the bilateral meeting, both leaders underlined the importance of keeping tensions under check.
“They both agreed that the two countries were primarily focused on their domestic development goals, and in this, they were partners rather than rivals. It was also an element of consensus between them that a stable and amicable relationship between India and China can be to the benefit of the 2.8 billion people who live in the two countries. The common interests of the two countries outweigh their differences and the two leaders also shared a consensus on the fact that differences should not be allowed to be turned into disputes,” Misri said.
China had agreed to lift export curbs on rare earths, fertilisers and tunnel boring machines this month during a key visit to India by China's foreign minister Wang Yi.
China opposes Washington's steep tariffs on India and will "firmly stand with India," Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said this month.
On the boundary issue, both sides acknowledged the progress since disengagement.
“Both leaders took note of the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border regions since then. The Prime Minister underlined the need for peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations,” the foreign secretary said.
Meanwhile, a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet has sparked fears of mass water diversion that could reduce water flows on the major Brahmaputra River by up to 85% in the dry season, according to Indian government estimates.
Beyond Xi, Modi also had a brief meeting with Cai Qi, member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee.
Xi and Putin on US ties
As PM Modi and Xi spoke, China’s president also conferred with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian media that “Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed on Sunday recent contacts between Russia and the United States” without elaborating.
Putin had held talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska earlier this month.
Modi to meet Putin
Misri confirmed PM Modi’s next engagement in Tianjin: “Tomorrow, the Prime Minister is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India.”
