Xi and Modi agree China and India are partners, not rivals, after talks on the sidelines of BRICS summit in New Delhi
GeopoliticsMacro
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, on September 12, 2026, and reached an important consensus that China and India should be partners, not rivals. Xi said China has always approached its relationship with India from a long-term, high-level strategic perspective, and that his two meetings with Modi over the past two years have guided bilateral ties from a new starting point toward better development. Institutional exchanges have resumed, cooperation in various fields has continued to grow, and bilateral trade has surged to a record high. Both sides should expand cooperation on people-to-people exchanges and direct flights, and should maintain balance and address each other's economic and trade concerns. Modi said India is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with China on the basis of mutual respect and trust, and is willing to be a partner rather than a rival to China. India thanked China for supporting India's hosting of the BRICS summit and will fully support China's BRICS chairmanship in 2027.
