We are committed to developing our relations based on mutual respect, trust, and consideration.

In a video posted on the official account of the Indian leader on the “X” platform, Modi told Xi during the meeting: “We are committed to developing our relations based on mutual respect, trust, and consideration.” Modi said that an atmosphere of “peace and stability” has emerged on their disputed border in the Himalayan region, where clashes between the two countries’ forces resulted in casualties in 2020, leading to a freeze in most areas of cooperation between the two nuclear-armed rivals. He noted that an agreement was reached regarding border management, without providing details.

During the meeting, the Chinese president said the two sides should approach the relationship from “strategic horizons and a long-term perspective,” while calling for adherence to multilateralism and highlighting “more democracy in international relations,” according to a recorded clip of the meeting.

Xi added that “the international situation is both volatile and chaotic,” considering it more appropriate for China and India to “be friends with friendly neighborhood relations, partners enabling each other’s success, and for the dragon and the elephant to dance together.”

The two leaders held a meeting in Russia last year after reaching an agreement to conduct border patrols.

Modi said that direct flights between the two countries, suspended since 2020, are “being worked on to resume,” without specifying a timeline, noting that relations stabilized last year after troops withdrew from friction points on the border.

Bloomberg suggested that Beijing and New Delhi, two of the world’s largest economies, aim to rebuild political relations amid growing trade doubts.

China agreed to lift restrictions on exports of rare earth materials, fertilizers, and tunnel boring machines this month during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India.

Bloomberg noted that the Chinese president and Indian prime minister held their first meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last January, with the long-time Asian rivals pledging to deepen cooperation while dealing with the economic fallout of the US trade war.

Modi’s visit comes as both countries face high tariffs from Washington and an urgent growing need to diversify global partnerships.

The bilateral meeting took place five days after Washington imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods due to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

Analysts say Xi and Modi seek to form a united front against Western pressures.

Sunday’s meeting between Xi and Modi followed a rare diplomatic breakthrough last August when New Delhi and Beijing agreed to discuss demarcating their disputed border; a key step toward resolving decades-long regional tensions, marking a shift toward dialogue after years of military confrontations and strained relations.

India and China share a 3,488-kilometer (2,167-mile) undemarcated disputed border, where soldiers clashed in June 2020 in the worst border tension in decades, damaging relations.

Reports indicate that Modi’s meeting with the Chinese president on Sunday may give them a chance to chart a future path. Bloomberg quoted unnamed Indian officials saying the issue of “normalizing relations” and easing border tensions is likely to be raised in talks.

India had previously objected to a draft statement circulated in June for lacking condemnation of armed attacks on the part of Kashmir administered by New Delhi, blaming Pakistan.

At the start of his visit to India, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and India should view each other as partners, not adversaries, as they rebuild relations.

Jeremy Chan, a former US diplomat in China and Japan, said, “If India ultimately endorses the joint statement, it indicates a greater willingness to stand with the Shanghai Organization, implicitly against Washington.”

He added, “Any language directly criticizing the United States would be an important sign of a more serious shift by New Delhi toward Beijing and Moscow.”

Although the summit was long planned, recent global developments have given it greater importance and weight.