India's Modi and China's Xi seek to reset ties on BRICS sidelines

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NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, the latest effort by the rival neighbors to repair ties strained by a deadly border clash six years ago.

Xi said China has approached relations with India from a “strategic and long-term perspective” and called for the two countries to draw on each other’s strengths, support one another and pursue common development.

He also urged “high-quality cooperation” between the two countries, saying China and India, as major members of the Global South, should promote a more multipolar world and contribute to global peace and stability.

Xi said institutional exchanges between the two countries have gradually resumed and bilateral trade has expanded, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. China and India are partners, not rivals, Xi said, and the two countries present opportunities for each other’s development rather than threats, according to Xinhua.

Modi thanked Xi for China’s cooperation in hosting the summit. China will host the summit next year. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the group's founding countries plus South Africa.

Modi said peace along the disputed border was essential for broader ties and urged both sides to honor existing agreements, a statement by India’s foreign ministry later Saturday said. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a fair and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary dispute, it said.

“Differences should not become disputes,” Modi said, adding: “Both sides must be guided by three mutuals: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.”

The leaders discussed expanding people-to-people and business ties while addressing trade imbalances, supply chain issues and market access concerns, the statement said.

The two leaders held talks in China last year during Modi's visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China.

The summit marks Xi’s first visit to India since 2019 and yet another effort toward a cautious thaw between the rival neighbors, six years after a deadly border clash badly damaged ties.

A military clash in 2020 killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese along a grueling frontier in the cold desert region of Ladakh. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

India and China have since taken steps to ease tensions, but deep mistrust remains.

The two nuclear-armed powers still dispute some parts of their border, while India’s large trade deficit with China, restrictions on Chinese investment and technology and their competing strategic interests in Asia continue to weigh on relations. India has also significantly expanded military infrastructure along its disputed frontier with China, while Beijing has built roads and defensive positions on its side of the contested border.

Xi’s visit is expected to test whether the recent thaw can translate into a broader stabilization of ties.

Since their 1962 war, the economies of both countries have grown substantially, but China has far outpaced India and runs a large trade surplus with its neighbor. Their growing economic rivalry has added to longstanding territorial and strategic differences.

India has sought to capitalize on China’s rising labor costs and strained ties with the United States and Europe to position itself as an alternative base for foreign manufacturers. New Delhi has also viewed China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative with concern and has strongly opposed it.

At the same time, India’s growing strategic partnership with the U.S. has raised concerns in Beijing, which views the relationship as part of efforts to counter China’s rise.

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Associated Press journalists Zheng Liu in Beijing and Chan Ho-him in Wanchai, Hong Kong contributed to this report.