Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called for greater business cooperation and mobility between the two countries as New Delhi and Beijing seek to rebuild ties damaged by a deadly 2020 border clash.
Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS leaders’ summit in New Delhi, with the Chinese president stressing the need to view bilateral ties from a “strategic, long-term perspective”, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
China and India can learn from each other’s strengths and achieve shared development, Xi said, according to Xinhua.
Xi’s visit to New Delhi is his first to India in seven years and comes as the two countries seek to repair ties following the 2020 military confrontation along their disputed Himalayan border.
India and China have fought over their border before, including a brief war in 1962. Relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley, in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
Ties have improved in recent years, particularly after Modi visited China last year, even as both countries navigate increasingly volatile relations with the United States.
However, analysts said there were still few signs that the diplomatic thaw had translated into a significant improvement in business ties.
Xi calls for BRICS role in Middle East
Xi also called on BRICS to play a role in promoting peace in the Middle East, saying the ongoing war did not serve the interests of the international community.
China will work with other BRICS members towards that goal, Xi said in an address to the summit, according to state-run CCTV.
Xi described BRICS as a “leading group” of the Global South and a model of self-reliance for emerging and developing countries. He also called for the bloc to promote innovation-driven development.
China will assume the BRICS chairmanship next year and host the 19th BRICS summit, Xi said, according to CCTV.
BRICS was originally formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The bloc’s members account for more than 40% of the world’s population and nearly a quarter of the global economy.
(With Reuters inputs)
