'Differences should not become disputes': Modi tells Xi peace on border key to India-China ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi today (12 September), as India and China seek to reset ties.

India said the two countries must ensure that "differences should not become disputes." 

"Prime minister emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement following the meeting.

Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations amidst tensions along the region in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

India and China share a 3,488-km-long border through the Himalayas, much of which is yet to be resolved.

Modi underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues.

The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples.

They took note of the progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries, the statement added.

Xi landed in Delhi today to participate in the India-hosted BRICS Summit – his first visit in seven years. Xi had come to India in 2019 when he visited Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu. India-China ties suffered a major setback in the following months after military clashes in Ladakh.

'Three mutuals'

Xi and Modi welcomed the 'steady progress' in India-China ties since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. "They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties. Differences should not become disputes," the ministry said, adding that Modi highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.

As the India-China border issue featured in the bilateral talks, Xi and Modi expressed 'commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution', MEA said.

Modi and Xi met in Tianjin, China, last year in August on the sidelines of the SCO Summit 2025.

What Xi said during the bilateral

In talks with Modi, Xi described India and China as 'important members' of the Global South and said the two nations 'should shoulder significant responsibilities'.

"In the face of a complex international landscape marked by intertwined changes and challenges, China and India, as the world's two most populous countries and important members of the Global South, shoulder significant responsibilities. Both sides should keep the future of humanity in mind and the well-being of their peoples at heart and work together to advance high-quality cooperation within the greater BRICS framework.

We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive, mutually beneficial form of economic globalisation, injecting more positive energy into the promotion of world peace, stability, development and prosperity," Xi said.

Earlier in the day, Xi said that the Middle East war does not serve 'common interests', adding that the BRICS countries oppose violations of other countries' sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs, Reuters reported.

Addressing the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Xi Jinping said that China would work with other members of the BRICS bloc towards that goal, as the conflict in the Middle East "does not serve the common interests of the international community", Reuters reported, state-run CCTV quoted Xi as saying.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the BRICS bloc to be a peacemaker in the Middle East conflict in an address to a summit of member countries in New Delhi today. China will work with other BRICS members in that role, as the war "does not serve the common interests of the international community", state-run CCTV quoted Xi as saying.