‘Three mutuals’ should guide India-China ties: PM Modi told Xi Jinping during BRICS bilateral

Jaiswal said PM Modi also referred to India’s concerns and stressed that both countries should remain sensitive to each other’s core concerns.

India and China should be guided by three mutuals – “mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity” – Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Prime Minister underlined the need for both sides to show sensitivity towards each other’s “core concerns” during the discussions. (MEA)

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Prime Minister underlined the need for both sides to show sensitivity towards each other’s “core concerns” during the discussions.

Modi raises India’s concerns with Xi

“A bilateral meeting took place between the Prime Minister and President Xi on the sidelines of the 18th Summit,” Jaiswal said while briefing the media.

“Several matters came up during the discussions,” he said. According to Jaiswal, Modi also referred to India’s concerns and stressed that both countries should remain sensitive to each other’s core concerns.

Responding to questions about remarks made by the Chinese foreign minister on the discussions between Modi and Xi, Jaiswal said India had taken note of the comments reported in the media.

“We have seen the comments made by the foreign minister in several media reports on the discussions that have happened between India and China at the leadership level on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. We have given you a detailed readout,” the MEA spokesperson said.

The statement from China came two days after Modi and Xi met for bilateral talks and welcomed “steady progress” in relations between the two countries.

Jaiswal on BRICS declaration

On the New Delhi declaration, Jaiswal said the document covered a range of issues on which BRICS members had reached an understanding.

“The declaration contains several issues on which BRICS members have come together. It talks about political issues, several international issues, trade, investment, innovation, start-ups and all those issues,” he said.

Jaiswal added that it was now for BRICS countries to work towards implementing the understandings reflected in the declaration.

“Now, it is for the BRICS countries to come together and see how they can give action to and implement these understandings,” he said.

Meeting amid border tensions

The two leaders met against the backdrop of fresh tensions between Indian and Chinese troops in the remote Taksing region of Arunachal Pradesh, with reports of face-offs during July and August. The two sides reached an understanding in October 2024 on disengaging troops at “friction points” in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), ending a standoff that lasted more than four years and took ties to a six-decade low.

Modi and Xi welcomed the “steady progress” in India-China relations since their last meeting at Tianjin in August 2025, and reaffirmed that both countries should “take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties”, the readout said.

“Differences should not become disputes. Prime Minister [Modi] highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest,” the readout said.

Modi and Xi also noted progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to promote cultural exchanges, business linkages, and greater mobility between the two countries, the statement added.