China on Friday (September 11, 2026) said it was willing to work with India to handle relations “from a strategic height and long-term perspective”, a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first trip to India in seven years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi will on Saturday (September 12) hold talks on the sidelines of this week’s BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

“This will be the third year in a row for the two leaders to meet with each other following meetings in Kazan and Tianjin,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.

“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication and enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good neighbourliness and partners helping each other,” she said.

BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE updates – September 11

At the summit this weekend, Mr. Xi will “put forward China’s important initiatives and propositions, charting the course for greater BRICS cooperation,” Ms. Mao said.

“BRICS is now a key platform for emerging market developing countries to uphold solidarity and cooperation. Since its founding, BRICS countries have upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. BRICS has stayed committed to upholding multilateralism, upholding fairness and justice and seeking common development. BRICS has grown into a real force standing at the forefront of the Global South,” she said.

In China, Mr. Xi’s visit to India has been seen as both an opportunity to continue the gradual normalisation in bilateral relations as well as enabling greater cooperation between the two countries under the broader BRICS umbrella as their ties gradually improve.

“One of the biggest highlights will be [President] Xi’s trip to India after seven years,” Wang Youming, an expert on China’s relations with developing countries at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), was quoted as saying in the official China Daily on Friday.

“China and India are not only close neighbours but also founding members and major participants in BRICS. The state of their relationship has a direct bearing on the development of the mechanism. Multilateral platforms can create opportunities for bilateral engagement, while improving bilateral relations can, in turn, facilitate coordination within multilateral mechanisms.”

India on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) said the state of its border with China will reflect on the state of the “larger bilateral ties” and that maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is of “utmost importance”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also rejected China’s criticism of New Delhi identifying 27 places and features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names, and asserted that the State is an “inalienable and integral” part of India and nothing can change this “indisputable reality.”

“In matters relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular media briefing.

“The maintenance of peace and tranquillity in these areas is of the utmost importance. We have also stated that the state of the border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” he said.

Mr. Jaiswal said this was reiterated at meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC) held last week.

“At this meeting, the two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC),” he said.

Mr. Jaiswal said the Indian side again underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.

“It was agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC,” he said.

India and China rolled out a series of measures in the last over one year to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 and the subsequent military face-off that lasted for over four years.

In October 2024, the two sides firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan and took a number of decisions to improve the ties.

In August last year, PM Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the annual SCO summit. Modi and Xi held extensive talks on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summit.

In the meeting, PM Modi said India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.

India and China reviewed the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deliberated on key issues related to boundary delimitation, border management and trans-border cooperation.

It was underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (August 7, 2026), a day after the diplomatic talks between the two sides in New Delhi.

“The two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the LAC,” it said.

The talks were held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

“Both sides agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC,” the MEA said.

As a follow-up to the outcomes of the last edition of Special Representatives talks, the two sides held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation, it said in a statement.

The MEA said the Indian side reiterated the need for early convening of the next meeting of the expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers and emphasised the importance of sharing technical details on upstream projects, it added.

The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA.

The Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department at China’s Foreign Ministry.

India and China reviewed the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deliberated on key issues related to boundary delimitation, border management and trans-border cooperation.

It was underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (August 7, 2026), a day after the diplomatic talks between the two sides in New Delhi.

“The two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the LAC,” it said.

The talks were held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

“Both sides agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC,” the MEA said.

As a follow-up to the outcomes of the last edition of Special Representatives talks, the two sides held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation, it said in a statement.

The MEA said the Indian side reiterated the need for early convening of the next meeting of the expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers and emphasised the importance of sharing technical details on upstream projects, it added.

The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA.

The Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department at China’s Foreign Ministry.

Stable India-China relations will help foster a “multi-polar Asia” and a “multi-polar world”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila. The meeting took place before the Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries, Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., met on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippine capital and reiterated their support for stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In a separate meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, held days after four Indian seafarers were killed in a Russian projectile strike in the Black Sea, Mr. Jaishankar expressed “strong concern” regarding the safety of Indian seafarers.

“We believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. Such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world,” Mr. Jaishankar said in his remarks, highlighting that “peace and tranquillity in the border areas is obviously the pre-requisite for normal ties.”

The comments came against the backdrop of renewed India-China engagement, including the resumption of direct flights, updates to the visa regime, the restart of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, and the resumption of border trade. In this context, Mr. Jaishankar said, “… the steps in normalisation taken over the last few months must be welcomed.” Mr. Jaishankar referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping’s meeting in Kazan in October 2024 and recalled that the two leaders had “agreed that differences should not become disputes”. “It is the duty of diplomacy to properly manage them,” he said. He also raised the importance of “predictability of supply chains” and “fair market access”, which need to be addressed.

The India-China ministerial discussion was followed by the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries, Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S. on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippine capital, which reiterated their support for stability in the Indo-Pacific region

The Ministry of External Affairs issued a joint press release on cooperation between the Quad members and the ASEAN countries, stating, “As ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partners we, the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan met today in Manila to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific and our unwavering support for ASEAN unity and centrality.” The Ministers discussed the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), transnational security, economic opportunities, critical and emerging technologies, and HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief).

The expression of support for the ASEAN member countries came three days after a maritime confrontation between the Philippine Navy and the China Coast Guard at the Ren’ai Reef in the South China Sea. Both sides have accused each other of aggression at the Ren’ai Reef. China has summoned Manila’s Ambassador to Beijing and lodged a protest against what it described as a “deliberate provocation”. Earlier, on July 6, China test-fired a long-range missile from a submarine in the South China Sea. The missile flew over the Philippines, drawing concern from regional countries, including Australia.

The Quad Foreign Ministers also reiterated their support for stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.

Mr. Jaishankar held an “in-depth review” of India-Russia bilateral relations with Mr. Lavrov and expressed “strong concern regarding the safety of Indian seafarers in the region”.

“Discussed various aspects of our partnership, including trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology and mobility,” said Mr. Jaishankar about his meeting with Mr. Lavrov, which came days after four Indian seafarers were killed in a Russian projectile strike on a merchant vessel near Odesa. The two Ministers, accompanied by other diplomats, also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Gulf.

After meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr. Jaishankar said the two sides discussed “trade and tariffs, energy, defence and security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence”.

Mr. Jaishankar also met counterparts from the ASEAN region, including Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa P. Lazaro. Following the meeting, both Mr. Jaishankar and Ms. Lazaro referred to defence and maritime security as key areas of bilateral cooperation. India has delivered the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines.

India’s imports from China rose 21.8% in the first half of 2026 to a record $79.41 billion, according to data released on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) by China’s General Administration of Customs.

Also read | Trade deficit jumps 430% in June 2026 due to surging oil, gold and electronics imports

Two-way bilateral trade was up to $91.72 billion after six months, a 23.6% rise from last year, and on track to surpass the record $155.62 billion trade figure from 2025, when China was again India’s biggest trade partner in goods.

While the trade deficit reached $67.1 billion after the first half of the year — also on track to exceed last year’s record $116.12 billion figure — India’s exports to China have also registered strong growth, up by 37.2% to $12.31 billion.

India’s official data on Monday (July 13, 2026) showed the overall trade deficit in the month of June 2026 was up by 430% year-on-year to $15.3 billion in June 2026, on the back of high growth in merchandise imports and a rise in the value of crude oil, electronics and gold imports.

Indian officials are less concerned by the quantum of the trade deficit with China than by the nature of the basket of goods. India imports not only large quantities of finished electronics and other equipment from China, but also intermediates that are needed for Indian manufacturing and fuel India’s own exports.

A particular concern is the nature of India’s exports to China, which in the past have been dominated by low value-added products such as organic chemicals, ores and seafood.

Earlier this month, India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami pitched for greater Indian exports to China, especially in areas where India is globally competitive such as pharmaceuticals. “Obviously, we would like to be able to export more to China. This is nothing unreasonable about suggesting that,” he said, speaking at the World Peace Forum, an annual foreign policy forum in Beijing.

“How do we find ways in which India and China can be connected, with a widening basket of goods that both sides can provide each other, but also a sense that reasonable mechanisms to protect consumers can be applied in a way that enables India also to export more of the goods that it can export elsewhere in the world also to China?” he said.

“In other words, it would be easier to consider that the trade wouldn’t be exactly 50-50 balanced, but one side would have more exports, provided that exports consist of goods that we can also add value. If it is pure consumption goods, that becomes a little harder to sell as a reasonable mechanism for the deficit.”

 India has allowed four Chinese power equipment ​manufacturers with factories in the ‌country to participate in government tenders ​for critical power ⁠projects, according to a government order.

TBEA Energy, Nanjing Electric India, New Northeast Electric India ‌and Taikai Electric (India) will be allowed to participate in ‌the tenders, the order ‌from ⁠Ministry of Finance ⁠dated June 24, 2026 and reviewed by Reuters said.

Union Ministry of Power had sought the ​exemption in January for ‌entities with manufacturing units in India involved in critical power projects, the document said.

Reuters reported ‌in January that India was ​examining broader relaxations on Chinese bidders for government contracts ⁠as border tensions ease.

Since a 2020 border clash, New Delhi has ‌required Chinese bidders to register with a government panel and secure political and security clearances before competing for any state contract.

The exemption comes as India accelerates ‌expansion of its transmission network to ​support rising electricity demand and renewable energy additions.

The order said ⁠the exemption would be valid for ⁠two years from the date of issuance and should ‌not be treated as a precedent for other companies.

China on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) expressed shock over the bomb blast in Delhi on Monday (November 10, 2025) in which 13 people were killed and several injured.

“We are shocked by the incident,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing, replying to a question.

He conveyed condolences to the victims, extended sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased and the injured, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. “No Chinese casualties were reported in the incident, according to the available information,” Mr. Lin said.

A powerful explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday (November 11, 2025) evening.

“Till last night, nine people were confirmed to have died in the blast and 20 others were injured,” officials said. “Three more people succumbed to injuries, taking the toll to 13,” police said on Tuesday (November 11, 2025).

While Indo-China relations as neighbours, after 1962, had entered a ‘normal’ that held up till recently, China’s rise as a potential superpower was changing the complexion of bilateral ties, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, T.S. Tirumurti, said in Chennai on Monday (September 15, 2025).

At the launch of the book “China: Indian Perspectives on China’s Politics, Economy, and Foreign Relations” brought out by The Hindu Publishing Group, Mr. Tirumurti said China’s rise as a potential superpower meant that for the first time, India was sharing a border with a superpower, which changed the complexion of their relationship. “The old template is not enough, and we need to develop a new one to deal with China in both these avatars,” he added.

“India needs to put in place a far more nuanced set of policies rather than just merely predicating our relations on the progress on the border issue as a barometer of good relations,” Mr. Tirumurti observed. There was also a need to look at some hard issues like trade imbalance, access to Indian goods and services, and de-escalation, before a new normal is reached.

Curated by Ananth Krishnan, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, the book has 12 in-depth essays from former diplomats, business representatives, and scholars, covering topics such as the political trends in China, its tech landscape, economy and trade, evolution of Indo-China relations, and China’s military modernisation. Mr. Ananth Krishnan said the book offered a timely snapshot of the goings-on in China as it dealt with multiple trends – going up the tech value chain rapidly but facing enormous economic problems, dealing with geopolitical challenges with tensions with the U.S. and some neighbours, while having success in spreading its influence in Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, said a real breakthrough in India-China relations post-1962 occurred when then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited China in 1988, setting the path for bilateral trade which increased from 600 million USD in the early 1990s to 140 billion USD now. The boundary row, he said, was an intractable issue that would take long to resolve in view of domestic constraints in policymaking on both sides.

Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, The Hindu Publishing Group, said the book becomes important especially in view of the changing order of the world that has provided an opportunity to look at China in a new paradigm.

B. Santhanam, Independent Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, said entrepreneurs in China had deep, hands-on technical expertise in their domains and always focused on full stack development. As India attempts to go up the value chain of semiconductors, solar power, energy, or mobility, an entrepreneurial perspective, he felt, was more important than a State’s policy-driven objecting dominating the thought process.

Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu, Narayan Lakshman, Opinion Page Editor, The Hindu, and Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu, spoke.