China welcomes PM Narendra Modi’s strategic autonomy message as India, Beijing seek steadier ties

China on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that India follows an independent foreign policy, saying Beijing values his remarks that New Delhi’s ties with China are not influenced by any third country.

The comments by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun came two days after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The meeting marked Xi’s first visit to India in seven years and came as the two countries seek to consolidate a cautious improvement in ties after years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Guo said the “most important consensus” reached by the two leaders was that China and India should be “partners”. He also said Beijing welcomed Modi’s position on India’s strategic autonomy.

Beijing highlights partnership and strategic autonomy

According to China’s foreign ministry, Modi told Xi that India has an independent foreign policy and that its development of relations with China is not affected by any third party. Modi also said India would not allow any force to engage in anti-China activities on its territory.

“China values Prime Minister Modi’s statements,” Guo said, according to the ministry’s readout.

Xi, meanwhile, said China and India have different national realities but should draw on each other’s strengths and support one another’s development.

Guo said the two countries need to “calibrate the direction with an objective and rational strategic perception” to ensure the steady and sustained development of bilateral relations. He added that differences should be handled through mutual respect and mutual understanding while cooperation is deepened.

China’s official readout said Modi also described India as wanting to be a “partner, not a rival” of China and said each country’s development should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Beijing said the two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

India links broader ties to peace along the border

India’s account of the September 12 meeting placed particular emphasis on stability along the disputed frontier.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi told Xi that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an “essential basis” for the continued development of bilateral relations. He also called on both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings relating to the border.

The two leaders expressed a commitment to finding a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” resolution to the boundary question, taking into account the broader bilateral relationship and the long-term interests of the two countries.

Modi also said differences should not become disputes and outlined what India described as the “three mutuals” that should guide ties: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.

The Indian and Chinese readouts, however, differed slightly in how they presented the relationship between the border dispute and broader ties. China spoke of advancing bilateral relations and resolving the boundary question in parallel, while India described peace and tranquillity along the border as the basis for further development of the relationship.

The leaders also took note of progress in people-to-people contacts and discussed expanding cultural exchanges, business links and mobility. On economic ties, they agreed on the need to address concerns including the structural trade imbalance, supply-chain issues and the need for meaningful and predictable market access.

Recent border concerns add urgency to dialogue

The renewed diplomatic engagement comes against the backdrop of fresh reports of tensions in the Taksing area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district.

Reports in July and August alleged face-offs between Indian and Chinese patrols in the remote area. The Ministry of External Affairs had said in August that the state of affairs along the border would have a bearing on the broader relationship and that both sides should use established diplomatic and military mechanisms to prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations.

The reports were disputed. The Indian Army had earlier rejected separate allegations of Chinese encroachment and camps in Arunachal Pradesh as incorrect and without basis, while Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also said there had been no confirmed incursion.

The latest Modi-Xi meeting followed significant diplomatic engagement on the boundary question. On August 25, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks in Beijing, where the two sides agreed on eight points, including maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and creating conditions for stable development of bilateral relations.

Ties have improved since the 2024 disengagement

India and China reached an understanding in October 2024 for disengagement at friction points in eastern Ladakh, bringing an end to a military standoff that had lasted for more than four years and had severely damaged bilateral relations.

The 2020 Galwan Valley clash, in which at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed, had pushed ties to their lowest point in decades. Since then, both sides have gradually restored diplomatic and economic engagement, although major differences over the boundary, trade and other strategic issues remain.

The two countries have since resumed a number of exchanges. China has also become India’s leading import partner, with bilateral trade rebounding despite continuing concerns over the trade imbalance and sensitive sectors.

At the BRICS meeting, Modi also appreciated China’s support for India’s chairship of the grouping and its contribution to the success of the 2026 summit. India said it would support China when Beijing takes over the BRICS chairship next year.