China Welcomes Modi’s Strategic Autonomy Message as India–China Ties Move Toward Wider Engagement

China has publicly welcomed what it described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reaffirmation of India’s independent foreign policy following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on September 14 that Beijing “values” the statements attributed to Modi during the September 12 meeting. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s account, Modi conveyed that India follows an independent foreign policy and that the development of relations with China is not determined by any third country.

The comments came as Beijing and New Delhi continue cautiously rebuilding a relationship that has been strained by the boundary dispute, trade imbalances and the deterioration in political trust following the military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control in 2020.

China Highlights India’s Strategic Autonomy

Guo said the New Delhi meeting marked another stage in the gradual improvement of India–China relations following Modi and Xi’s interactions in Kazan and Tianjin.

According to Beijing’s official account, the most important understanding emerging from the latest meeting was that India and China should regard each other as partners rather than rivals. China said both countries should approach the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective instead of allowing individual disputes to determine the entire bilateral relationship.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also attributed to Modi the position that India would not permit forces operating from its territory to engage in activities directed against China. Beijing additionally stated in its September 12 readout that India’s positions concerning Taiwan and Tibet remained unchanged.

These particular formulations appear in the Chinese government’s account of the meeting. The Indian Prime Minister’s Office, in its separate official readout, did not mention Taiwan, Tibet or the statement concerning anti-China activities. Instead, New Delhi concentrated its account on border stability, trade concerns, mutual sensitivity and predictable market access.

That difference in emphasis is significant. Beijing highlighted strategic autonomy and India’s approach to issues it regards as politically sensitive, while New Delhi placed greater emphasis on the conditions required for a stable bilateral relationship.

India Keeps Border Peace at Centre of Relationship

India’s official account made clear that improvement in relations remains closely connected to conditions along the disputed boundary.

The PMO said Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an essential foundation for the continued development of India–China relations. He also underlined the need for both countries to observe existing agreements and understandings dealing with border issues.

Modi and Xi reaffirmed their commitment to seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question while considering the wider bilateral relationship and the long-term interests of both countries.

New Delhi also reiterated the principle that differences between India and China should not be allowed to become disputes. Modi stressed what India has termed the three “mutuals” governing the relationship — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.

China’s own account similarly said both sides should continue efforts to resolve the boundary question while maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border. Xi described India and China as development opportunities for each other rather than threats and called for irritants in the relationship to be addressed through mutual respect and understanding.

Trade Imbalance and Market Access Remain Major Issues

Economic relations featured prominently in both official versions of the meeting.

India said Modi and Xi discussed the need to address structural trade imbalances, supply-chain concerns and the requirement for meaningful and predictable market access. These issues remain central to New Delhi’s economic engagement with Beijing because merchandise trade has expanded considerably while India’s deficit with China has remained substantial.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries should deal with each other’s economic and trade concerns in a balanced manner and promote the steady development of bilateral commerce. Beijing described economic cooperation between the two countries as an area where mutual gains remain possible despite wider political differences.

The economic discussion therefore points to an attempt to move the relationship beyond simple trade-volume growth. India is seeking improved market access and more balanced commercial flows, while China is pressing for a stable environment for Chinese economic activity and investment.

People-to-People Links Also Return to Agenda

The two leaders also discussed restoring and expanding normal interactions between their societies.

The Indian readout said both sides noted progress in people-to-people ties and supported greater cultural exchanges, business links and mobility. China similarly called for wider exchanges, including improvements in direct connectivity and other practical areas that could help rebuild public confidence in the bilateral relationship.

This emphasis reflects the broader effort underway since high-level political contacts resumed. Institutional exchanges that had slowed during the years of border tension have gradually restarted, while both governments are attempting to separate areas where cooperation is possible from disputes that remain unresolved.

Beijing Says India and China Should Be Partners

China used the September 14 Foreign Ministry briefing to underline what it considers the principal political outcome of the Modi–Xi meeting: that the two countries should treat each other as partners.

Guo said India and China, as major countries of the Global South, should focus on development as their largest area of common interest. He argued that the two countries should expand mutually beneficial cooperation, improve public perceptions of the relationship and work together in multilateral institutions.

Xi had made a similar argument during his meeting with Modi, saying the two countries should support each other’s development and draw on their respective strengths. His four-point approach called for a rational strategic perception of the relationship, mutually beneficial cooperation, management of bilateral irritants and stronger multilateral coordination.

For India, however, the political framework remains closely tied to developments on the border. New Delhi’s official account did not present economic and diplomatic normalisation as separate from security concerns, but instead repeated that stability along the frontier remains fundamental to the relationship.

India and China to Coordinate as BRICS Chairships Change Hands

The Modi–Xi meeting also covered cooperation within BRICS, with India currently holding the chairship and China due to assume it next year.

Modi thanked China for supporting India’s BRICS presidency and for contributing to the New Delhi summit. Beijing said the two countries had agreed to support each other’s chairships and strengthen cooperation among countries of the Global South.

China will host the 19th BRICS Summit during its chairship. Beijing has said it intends to continue work on artificial intelligence, digital industry cooperation, intelligent manufacturing and broader technology initiatives within the grouping.

The September meeting therefore represents another measured step in the normalisation of India–China relations rather than a resolution of their underlying disputes. Both governments are signalling that cooperation can expand, but their official accounts also show where their priorities differ.

Beijing has chosen to highlight India’s strategic autonomy and what it regards as reassurance on politically sensitive issues. New Delhi, by contrast, has placed border peace, trade balance, supply chains and market access at the centre of its public account.

The convergence lies in the decision to keep political dialogue moving and to prevent individual disputes from closing the space for cooperation. Whether that approach produces a durable improvement will depend largely on progress along the border and whether the two countries can translate their political statements into more balanced economic and strategic engagement.

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