Modi and Xi 'expressed commitment' to resolving border issue: India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to work together towards resolving their countries' contested border, New Delhi's foreign ministry said Saturday after the leaders met.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.

What did Modi and Xi agree on the border issue?

India's foreign ministry said in a statement that the two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.

Modi underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues, the statement added.

Why is Xi's visit to India significant?

Xi's visit to New Delhi for the 11-nation BRICS summit is being closely watched because it is his first to India since 2019, marking the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the nuclear-armed rivals.

The Chinese leader is visiting six years after a deadly military clash along the disputed border, with ties gradually improving since through restored flights, visas and high-level contacts.

Is the India-China border dispute resolved?

The underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both sides retain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre high-altitude border along Tibet.

Dozens of Tibetans protested in New Delhi on Friday, including exiles like their Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing a Chinese crackdown in 1959, waving placards against Xi's visit.

What else did India's foreign ministry say about the meeting?

"Differences should not become disputes," New Delhi's foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that Modi had highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.

How big is trade between India and China?

China is now India's largest trading partner, with bilateral goods trade reaching $151 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, according to Indian government data.

The relationship is heavily tilted towards Beijing, however. India imported $131 billion of goods from China while exports were $19 billion, leaving a record $112 billion trade deficit.

What did the two sides say about trade imbalances?

The foreign ministry statement said the two leaders underlined the need to address each other's concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access.

Xi, according to Chinese state broadcaster Xinhua, said the two nations can learn from each other's strengths and achieve shared development.