Xi and Modi Meet in New Delhi, Vowing ‘Partners, Not Rivals’

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12, reaching what both governments described as an important consensus that China and India should be partners rather than rivals. The meeting marked Xi’s first visit to India since 2019 and consolidated a diplomatic thaw that has been building since the two leaders last met in Tianjin in August 2025.

According to Xinhua, the two leaders conducted a “candid and in-depth exchange of views,” with Xi declaring that “China and India are partners for cooperation, not rivals” and that the two countries “provide development opportunities for each other rather than pose threats to each other.”

Context: A Cautious Reset

The meeting caps a gradual normalization of ties that were shattered in 2020, when a border clash in the Himalayas killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers and triggered a prolonged military standoff. Tens of thousands of troops remain deployed along the roughly 3,500-kilometer frontier, most of which is undemarcated.

Xi’s arrival at Palam Air Force Base at midday on September 12 was his first trip to India in seven years. He was accompanied by Cai Qi, director of the CPC Central Committee’s General Office, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two leaders had previously met in Tianjin on the margins of the 2025 SCO Summit, a gathering both sides now cite as the starting point for the current improvement in relations.

What Was Agreed

Xi laid out a four-point proposal: calibrating relations through “objective and rational strategic perception,” pursuing win-win cooperation, managing disruptions through “mutual respect and understanding,” and promoting open, inclusive multilateral cooperation. He also urged parallel progress on bilateral ties and border issues, with the two tracks “reinforcing each other.”

On the border, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders “expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question,” as RFI reported. Modi stressed the need to observe existing agreements and understandings to maintain “peace and tranquility” along the frontier.

Modi offered reassurances of his own, stating that India “always views India-China relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective” and is “willing to be a partner rather than a rival.” He said India adheres to an independent foreign policy “not subject to the influence of any third party”—a phrase widely read as a signal of Delhi’s strategic autonomy amid U.S. pressure. Modi also said India’s policy on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues remains unchanged and that it “does not allow any force to engage in anti-China activities in India.”

Economically, both leaders acknowledged the need to address structural imbalances. India’s trade deficit with China reached a record US$112 billion in the 2025–26 fiscal year, even as New Delhi eased some investment restrictions in March 2026 and bilateral trade hit a new high.

The BRICS Backdrop

The bilateral meeting unfolded alongside the larger BRICS Summit, hosted by India on September 12–13 under the theme of building a resilient, innovative and sustainable future. Xi used the occasion to announce that China will assume the BRICS chairmanship in 2027 and host the 19th summit; Modi said India would “fully support” the effort.

As TV BRICS reported, leaders unanimously adopted the 45-page New Delhi Declaration, covering sustainable growth, innovation, healthcare, energy and deeper engagement with the Global South. The summit marked the 20th anniversary of the BRICS mechanism, now 11 members strong with 10 partner countries.

The gathering took place against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop. The war in Ukraine, a Middle East conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, and persistent U.S.-China trade tensions have tested the bloc’s unity. A May 2026 failure by BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement over the Iran war had underscored how difficult consensus remains.

As NPR and the Associated Press noted, the summit put a spotlight on whether external economic pressure is giving BRICS members fresh reasons to cooperate on trade, energy and payments. Reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar was a stated priority, though members differ sharply on how far to push de-dollarization.

Analysis: Warm Words, Structural Rivals

Analysts caution that the warm rhetoric does not signal a breakthrough. Writing for CNBC, Chietigj Bajpaee of Chatham House said the meeting “is likely to further advance the ongoing reset in bilateral relations and build confidence,” but noted that tensions over the border, India’s trade deficit and broader strategic rivalry persist. Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute described BRICS itself as a “dysfunctional family,” pointing to members like Iran and the UAE sitting on opposite sides of the Middle East conflict.

Chinese scholars struck a similarly measured tone. Zhu Feng argued that India’s structural dependence on Chinese supply chains makes deeper cooperation necessary, but that the Modi government’s posture remains one of “both guarding and striking, both talking and pulling”—making a major near-term breakthrough unlikely.

The meeting’s significance lies less in any single deliverable than in the framework it reinforces: a double-track approach that separates the border question from deepening economic and institutional engagement. For China, Xi’s first India visit in seven years projects regional leadership and bolsters BRICS as a vehicle for a more multipolar order. For India, hosting the summit while stabilizing ties with a rival extends its balancing act between Moscow, Washington and Beijing.

What to Watch

The real test will be whether easing rhetoric translates into concrete outcomes. Three indicators bear watching: whether border negotiations move beyond confidence-building toward demarcation; whether eased investment restrictions and revived institutional exchanges produce measurable economic results; and whether the relationship can hold steady as U.S.-China strategic competition intensifies. India’s strategic autonomy—and its refusal to be drawn into any bloc—will remain the central variable.

For now, both capitals are framing the trajectory as one of cautious improvement, from what Chinese officials call a “new start” to a “further improvement.” Whether that arc continues will depend on whether the words spoken in New Delhi give way to tangible action on the ground.