New Delhi, Sep 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains essential for development of India-China relations, emphasising that existing agreements on border management must be strictly observed.

In their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the two leaders reaffirmed that both the countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties and differences should not become disputes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

On economic front, Modi and Xi 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, it said.

The two leaders expressed commitment to a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two sides, it said.

In his remarks, PM Modi highlighted that both sides must be “guided by three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest” in the ties.

The meeting took place hours after Xi arrived in the national capital on a two-day visit to attend the BRICS summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years.

Xi’s visit to India came on the heels of several high-level exchanges, including the Special Representative dialogue in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, even as lingering concerns remain over aggressive Chinese military posturing along the Arunachal Pradesh sector.

Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks on August 31 last year on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Chinese city of Tianjin.

In the last few months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

The MEA said the two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China relations since their last meeting in Tianjin and reaffirmed that “both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties”.

“The prime minister emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations,” it said.

“He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border related issues,” it added.

The MEA said the “two leaders took note of the progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries.”

“The two leaders agreed that both sides must continue to expand common ground on regional and global issues, and in addressing challenges,” it said.

The prime minister appreciated China’s support for India’s BRICS chairship and its contributions towards the success of the grouping’s summit.

In his televised opening remarks, Xi said Beijing has always viewed the development of India-China relations from a “strategic and long-term perspective”.

“Although our national conditions differ, we can fully support each other and pursue common development path,” he said in Mandarin.

“Faced with a complex and intertwined international situation, China and India — as the world’s two most populous countries and key members of the Global South — shoulder significant responsibilities,” he said.

“Both sides should keep the future of humanity and the well-being of our people in mind. We must join hands to promote cooperation and strive for an inclusive economic future,” he said.

After over four years of frosty ties over the eastern Ladakh military standoff, India and China began to repair the relations following a meeting between Modi and Xi in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024 that took place after the face-off ended.

The talks between Modi and Xi covered a range of issues including reducing their trade deficit, tackling challenges like terrorism and ensuring fair trade in multilateral platforms.

New Delhi, Sep 12: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday hailed the BRICS bloc as the world’s most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries and called on the grouping to play its “due role” in bringing peace in West Asia.

Addressing the BRICS summit here, Xi said China will work with BRICS members to achieve peace and tranquillity in West Asia and the Gulf region, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He said as the situation in West Asia and the Gulf region continues to evolve, the war there has caused serious losses to people across the region and does not serve the common interests of the international community.

He called on the leaders of major emerging economies to play the “due role” in bringing peace to West Asia, urging member states to stand on the right side of history.

He said BRICS countries should oppose the Cold War mentality and called on the member states to oppose violations of other countries’ sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs

Xi said the BRICS countries should strengthen cooperation in AI initiative to promote new industrialisation through AI among BRICS countries

He called on BRICS countries to lead global governance in cyberspace, outer space, and the deep sea and amplify the voice of the Global South.

He said that BRICS countries should pioneer in innovative development as well as in maintaining peace and stability, boosting mutual learning among civilisations.

He said the members should focus on improving global governance, noting that the grouping should steer the international order toward greater justice and equity, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xi arrived here early Saturday, marking his first trip to India in seven years.

He was received at the Bharat Mandapam for the 18th BRICS summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The other leaders attending the summit in New Delhi are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank (NDB) President Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Chief Zou Jiayi are also attending the BRICS summit.

New Delhi, Sep 12: In a major diplomatic outcome for India, BRICS condemned the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in its New Delhi Declaration adopted on Saturday and called for zero tolerance towards state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

The comprehensive declaration, titled ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, marked a unified stance by the bloc against global terror, illegal financial flows, cyber fraud, and emerging cross-border scam networks.

Leading the security outcomes of the declaration, member nations condemned the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives and left scores injured.

The declaration explicitly noted that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed.

Reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the BRICS leaders emphasised the urgent need to stop the cross-border movement of terrorists, disrupt terror financing networks and dismantle safe havens.

The member states reiterated that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation, or ethnic group, while asserting that all those involved in terror activities must be held accountable under national and international law.

New Delhi, Sep 12: In a significant diplomatic breakthrough for India, the BRICS grouping on Saturday adopted a joint declaration with consensus, overcoming sharp divisions between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict following a series of back-channel negotiations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day’s deliberations at the two-day India-hosted summit.

The negotiations on the text of the declaration went down to the wire as both Iran and the UAE had hardened their positions initially. BRICS is a consensus-based grouping, meaning any single member can block a final joint declaration.

Prime Minister Modi was seen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the conclusion of the inaugural session at the summit.

“Today’s discussion makes it evident that the changing world cannot be steered by outdated institutions; reforms are essential in representation, responsiveness and rule-making,” Modi said in his concluding remarks.

“We also emphasised that the Global South must have equal participation in the development of future technologies and the rules governing them.”

The prime minister said the gap between decisions and their outcomes must be bridged through partnership and collective action.

“The New Delhi Declaration adopted today provides a clear direction for our shared resolve. It is now our responsibility to translate these resolutions into tangible results,” he said.

New Delhi, Sep 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to India on Saturday to kick off a two-day BRICS summit aimed at protecting developing economies from the global impact of wars in Ukraine and West Asia.

The other leaders attending the summit in New Delhi are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank (NDB) President Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Chief Zou Jiayi are also attending the BRICS summit.

The theme of India’s BRICS presidency is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

The summit at New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration’s trade and tariff policies.

“Global trade can move forward only when sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe. That is why India is a staunch advocate of freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers,” Modi said at the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, indicating India’s concerns over the escalating situation in West Asia.

India’s chairship of the grouping centred on the four pillars: resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.

Under the resilience pillar, India has been focusing on strengthening collective cooperation in areas such as health, agriculture, food, energy, disaster risk reduction and supply chains, officials said.

Enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity and high technology will also be high on the agenda of the summit, they said.

New Delhi has also been pressing the grouping for deploying new and emerging technologies such as digital public infrastructure, fintech, artificial intelligence and knowledge sharing to enable effective service delivery and future-ready growth.

In addition to these areas, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025.

Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.

BRICS emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.

New Delhi, Sep 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held separate bilateral meetings with leaders from Malaysia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia, focusing on critical minerals, energy, and food security to shield trade and supply chains from rising global tensions.

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

In talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Modi discussed with him the overall situation in West Asia and ways to take forward the India-UAE strategic partnership.

“Discussed taking our strategic partnership forward across defence, AI, space, critical minerals, energy, food security and connectivity,” Modi said in a social media post.

“At a time of uncertainty in West Asia, a strong India-UAE is a symbol of stability, prosperity and peace,” he added.

In their meeting, Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, including trade and investment, defence and security, semiconductors, infrastructure, digital economy, energy and fintech.

Ibrahim conveyed to Modi Malaysia’s concurrence to the establishment of an Indian consulate general’s office in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

“Prime Minister Modi appreciated Malaysia’s continued support in strengthening ASEAN-India relations. The leaders exchanged views on key regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The two leaders expressed their continued commitment to advancing the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, it said.

The meeting between Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung largely focused on bilateral trade and investment ties.

“The meeting provided an opportunity for both leaders to review the progress made in bilateral ties, which were elevated to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the MEA said.

It said both leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual importance, and reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening their partnership.

“India and Vietnam share a time-tested friendship rooted in shared civilisational heritage, mutual trust and understanding. Vietnam is a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy and an important partner in India’s broader engagement with Southeast Asia,” the MEA said.

Modi’s talks with his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed Ali too centred around ways to further expand two-way relations in areas of defence and trade.

“The two leaders held discussions aimed at further strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership. They reviewed progress across key sectors, including economic cooperation, defence and security partnership, and capacity building,” the MEA said.

The meeting built on Modi’s visit to Addis Ababa in December last year.

“The two leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and international developments of mutual interest. They reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation in multilateral fora,” the MEA noted.