Tianjin (China) | Chinese President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday that it is the "right choice" for the two countries to be "friends", asserting that the elephant and dragon should dance together for each other’s success.
The talks between the two leaders took place on the margins of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here.
“We both shoulder the historical responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and propelling the progress of human society,” Xi said.
“It is the right choice for both to be friends who have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other's success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together," he said.
Xi said both countries should approach their relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.
“Both sides need to approach and handle our relationship from strategic heights and long-term perspective so as to realise the sustained, sound and steady development of our bilateral ties,” he said.
Xi told Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other's development opportunities rather than threats, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
In an apparent dig at US President Donald Trump’s unilateral policies, he also said both countries should uphold multilateralism.
India and China should also work for a multipolar world and more democracy in international relations, Xi said.
“We must also step up our historic responsibility to uphold multilateralism, work together to bring about a multipolar world and more democracy in international relations and to make our due contributions to peace and prosperity in Asia and around the world," he said.
This was their first meeting in about ten months and it assumed significance in view of a sudden downturn in India-US ties triggered by Washington's policies on trade and tariffs.
Xi also told Modi that the world is currently going through once-in-a-century transformations.
“The international situation is both fluid and chaotic. China and India are two ancient civilisations in the east, we are the world's two most populous countries, and we are also the oldest members of the Global South,” he said.
Tianjin (China) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday vowed to work towards a "fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable" resolution of the festering boundary issue and pledged to work towards stabilising global trade.
In their wide-ranging talks on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Modi and Xi agreed that the two countries are development partners and not rivals, noting that differences between the two sides should not turn into disputes.
The two leaders also recognised the role of their economies to stabilise world trade, signalling a policy approach that came against the backdrop of economic turbulence triggered by Washington's tariff tussle.
PM Modi noted that India and China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens, an Indian readout said.
It said the two leaders deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms.
Both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan in October last year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the readout.
"They reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes," it said.
The prime minister underlined the importance of peace and tranquility in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations.
It said the two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement of troops last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then.
"They 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," the MEA said.
"They recognised the important decisions taken by the two Special Representatives in their talks earlier this month, and agreed to further support their efforts," it said.
The MEA said PM Modi expressed support for China's Presidency of the SCO and the summit in Tianjin.
He also invited President Xi to the BRICS summit that India will be hosting in 2026.
President Xi thanked PM Modi for the invitation and offered China's support to India's BRICS presidency, the MEA said.
Tianjin | India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two leaders held wide-ranging talks on Sunday to reset the bilateral relations.
In his televised opening remarks, Modi said the welfare of 2.8 billion people is linked to cooperation between India and China.
The talks between the two leaders on the margins of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this northern Chinese city came against the backdrop of turbulence triggered by the Trump administration's tariff tussle.
Modi landed here last evening from Japan in the second leg of his two-nation trip. It is the Indian prime minister's first trip to China after the eastern Ladakh border row that began in May 2020.
The prime minister held talks with the Chinese president in October last year in Russia's Kazan, which took place days after India and China reached an understanding to end the standoff in eastern Ladakh.
In his remarks, Modi noted that there is peace and stability along the border following last year's disengagement process, adding that direct flights between the two countries are being resumed.
The prime minister also made a mention of the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
There was consent between our Special Representatives on border management, he said.
India and China have a framework called the Special Representatives on the boundary question to address issues relating to the border.
"We are committed to take forward our cooperation based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity," Modi said.
The prime minister also congratulated Xi on China's successful presidency of the SCO.
The specific outcomes of the Modi-Xi talks are not yet known.
Ahead of his trip to Tianjin, Modi said it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order.
In an interview with Japan's The Yomiuri Shimbun, Modi said stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.
"Given the current volatility in world economy, it is also important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order," Modi said in the interview published on Friday.
Modi's trip to China comes less than a fortnight after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India.
Following Wang's wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the two sides unveiled a series of measures for a "stable, cooperative and forward-looking" relationship.
The measures included joint maintenance of peace along the contested frontier, reopening border trade and resuming direct flight services at the earliest.
In the last few months, both sides have initiated a series of measures to reset their ties that came under severe strain following the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.
Tianjin | Russia and China have taken a common stand against "discriminatory sanctions" that hinder the socioeconomic development of BRICS member countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
Putin, who arrived here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) summit, made the remarks in an interview with China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.
He said that Russia and China are paying special attention to mobilising additional resources for critical infrastructure projects, and stand united in strengthening BRICS' ability to address pressing global challenges.
The Russian president said that Moscow and Beijing take a "common stand against discriminatory sanctions that hinder the socioeconomic development" of BRICS members and the world at large.
Putin's remarks came in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump threatening the member countries of BRICS with 10 per cent tariffs.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates have joined BRICS as its new members.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to meet Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit being held here from Sunday to Monday.
In the written interview with Xinhua, Putin said Russia and China support reforming the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
He added that the two sides share the view that a new financial system must be built on the principles of "openness and true equity", which can provide equal and non-discriminatory access to its tools for all countries and reflect the real standing of member states in the global economy.
"We seek progress for the benefit of all humanity. I am confident that Russia and China will continue to work together towards this noble goal, aligning our efforts to ensure the prosperity of our great nations," he said.
Besides attending the summit and holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin will also attend China’s V-Day parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its victory against Japan in WWII.
He hoped that the SCO Tianjin Summit will inject powerful new momentum into the 10-member organisation and strengthen its capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats, and consolidate solidarity across the shared Eurasian space.
"All this will help shape a fairer multipolar world order," he said.
The SCO's appeal lies in its simple but powerful principles: a firm commitment to its founding philosophy, openness to equal cooperation, not targeting third parties, and respect for the national characteristics and uniqueness of each nation, he said.
"Drawing on these values, the SCO contributes to shaping a fairer, multipolar world order, grounded in international law, with the central coordinating role of the United Nations," he said.
"I am confident that, through our joint efforts, we will give the SCO new momentum, modernising it to meet the demands of the time," he said.
