Modi, Xi call India and China partners, not rivals, at BRICS talks

India and China have taken another significant step toward easing the tension that has persisted between them for some time. During the 18th BRICS summit under way in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an important meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the meeting, the two countries stressed taking India-China relations forward from a strategic and long-term perspective.

At the meeting, China conveyed an important message to India. Xi Jinping said clearly that India and China are not rivals but partners. He said the two countries should see each other as an opportunity for development rather than as a threat.

Xi Jinping also reviewed India-China relations over the past two years. He said he has met Prime Minister Modi twice during this period, and that the two leaders' efforts have helped bilateral relations regain momentum. According to him, institutional contacts between the two countries are gradually returning to how they were before, areas of cooperation are increasing, and trade between the two countries has reached a record level. He also said this situation has not come about easily, and therefore needs to be handled with care.

To make India-China relations more stable and strong, Xi Jinping stressed four key points. First, the two countries should maintain a balanced and rational view of each other and see each other as development partners rather than rivals or threats. Second, cooperation in the economic and trade sector should be increased, and people-to-people contact, direct flight services and cooperation in other areas should be promoted. Third, efforts to resolve the border dispute on the basis of mutual respect and trust should continue, and peace and stability should be maintained in the border areas. Fourth, apart from BRICS, India and China should increase coordination at international forums such as the United Nations, the SCO and the G20.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke positively about India-China relations. He said India and China are two large countries with thousands of years of civilisation, and both traditions have progressed by learning from each other. Modi said India wants to see China as a partner, not a rival, and that China's development is not a challenge for India but an opportunity.

Modi also made clear that India's foreign policy is independent, and that no third country has any influence on India's decision to expand ties with China. It was also reiterated that there has been no change in India's stance on Tibet and Taiwan.

The two sides also discussed starting direct flight services and expanding other means of contact between the peoples of the two countries, which is expected to boost travel, trade and people-to-people ties. India also welcomed China's upcoming BRICS presidency next year and assured full cooperation during China's presidency. The two countries also agreed to work together to strengthen the voice of the Global South, promote a multipolar world, and cooperate for stability at a time of global instability.

Overall, the Modi-Xi Jinping meeting sent a clear message of improving India-China relations. But how much real progress is made on sensitive issues such as the border dispute will determine the direction of this new cooperation going forward.