Diplomatic Relations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extends an invitation to President Xi Jinping for the 2026 BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi, India.
PM Modi and President Xi Jinping Meet on the Sidelines of the SCO Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit marked his first trip to the country in seven years. During his visit, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The meeting between the two leaders took place on the sidelines of the 25th SCO Heads of State Summit. Both leaders underscored the importance of fostering strong and stable relations between India and China.
According to a press release from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), President Xi expressed his gratitude for the invitation and assured China's support for India's upcoming BRICS presidency. Prime Minister Modi has extended a formal invitation to President Xi Jinping to attend the BRICS Summit in 2026, which India is set to host.
During the delegation-level talks, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation for the well-being of people in both India and China. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to viewing each other as development partners rather than rivals.
The leaders deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms, as stated in the MEA release. However, they did not discuss specific details about the ongoing border situation in this particular meeting, as mentioned earlier.
President Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of India and China being good neighbours, using the symbolic imagery of the elephant and the dragon. He echoed Prime Minister Modi's sentiments, stating that it is vital for India (the elephant) and China (the dragon) to walk together.
Both leaders engaged in discussions on several key issues, including the ongoing border situation. They agreed that disagreements should not escalate into disputes.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a political, economic, and military organisation, created in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The leaders did not discuss the BRICS Summit, where India is set to host in 2026, directly in this conversation, but it is the context for PM Modi's invitation to President Xi, as mentioned earlier.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India and China both pursue strategic autonomy and that the perspectives of third countries should not influence their relationship. This sentiment was echoed by President Xi Jinping.
The meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping is a positive step towards strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and China. The two leaders' commitment to fostering strong, stable, and cooperative relations bodes well for the future of Indo-China relations.
