Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on Wednesday on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Russia, in their first structured meeting in the last five years.

The meeting took place two days after India and China firmed up an agreement on patrolling by their militaries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, in a major breakthrough to end the over four-year standoff.

"We are having a formal meeting after 5 years. We believe that the India-China relationship is very important not only for our people but also for global peace, stability and progress. We welcome the consensus reached on the issues that have arisen in the last 4 years on the border. Maintaining peace and stability on the border should remain our priority. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of our relations," PM Modi said during the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Before meeting the Chinese president, PM Modi in an unambiguous message calling for resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through peaceful negotiations said that India supports dialogue and diplomacy and not war.

In his address, Modi flagged concerns over pressing challenges such as wars, economic uncertainty, climate change and terrorism and said the BRICS can play a positive role to take the world in the right path.

"We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war. And just as we were able to overcome a challenge like COVID together, we are certainly able to create new opportunities to ensure a secure, strong and prosperous future for future generations," he said.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi and other world leaders posed for a family photo at the Kazan Expo Center.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was flanked on either side by PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the family photo of leaders of the countries of the BRICS grouping, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday said at a media briefing, "I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit." Modi met with Xi last in October 2019 in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu months before the June 2020 clashes in Galwan that led to a military standoff.

The two leaders met during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia  in 2022 and then in Johannesburg, South Africa (2023).

On October 21, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that an agreement had been reached regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border area.

Foreign Secretary Misri told media persons that the agreement "is the outcome of extensive discussions over the past several weeks with Chinese interlocutors at both diplomatic and military levels."  He noted that military commanders have been involved in negotiations aimed at addressing the tensions that have persisted since 2020.

China on Tuesday also said that it has reached a resolution with India on resolving their border conflict and will work to implement solutions. 

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in a regular press briefing said, "We have reached a resolution on the relevant matter, will work with the Indian side to implement the solution. We are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels." 

The highly anticipated meeting between PM Modi and President Xi in Kazan is expected to be a pivotal moment in India-China relations. The two leaders are likely to engage in discussions over the recent agreement on patrolling along the LAC and other areas of shared interest like trade.

Robinder Nath Sachdev, foreign affairs expert said, "I think it is great development for PM Modi and Xi Jinping and the conditions have now been created by improvement in the situation in the LAC. The more important thing would be now to see other concrete outcomes from this Modi-Xi Jinping meeting. The bilateral is happening and it has to have some meaningful outcomes. I think one of the outcomes that PM Modi will push for is balancing of the bilateral trade between India and China."  

"Our bilateral trade is USD 120 billion, out of which we export only USD 20 billion and we import USD 100 billion. So I think China has to lower some of its tariffs or non-tariff barriers to Indian trade so that the trade increases but at the same time, the deficit decreases," he said.

He added, "On the LAC, a longer-term view of how to keep and preserve peace on LAC, these would be two big outcomes I would look forward to see."

Past meetings

In 2023, PM Modi and President Xi held a bilateral meeting in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. PM Modi during the conversation with Xi highlighted India's concerns at the unresolved issues along the LAC in Ladakh with the two leaders agreeing to direct their relevant officials "to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation." 

Before this, the leaders engaged in a conversation during the Bali G20 Summit in 2022 and spoke of the need to stabilize bilateral relations.

In October 2019, both leaders met for the Mahabalipuram Informal Summit in Mahabalipuram near Chennai. The meeting focused on international and regional issues, improving people-to-people contact, enhancing trade and on how to maintain peace and tranquility along the 3, 500-kilometre long India-China border.

In April 2018, PM Modi and President Xi met for Wuhan Informal Summit in China. Held from April 27 to 28, the two nations reviewed development in the relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. They also discussed their respective visions and priorities for national development, in the context of current and future international situation.

In September 2014, PM Modi hosted President Xi in his home state of Gujarat where the leaders discussed with each other the development of bilateral relations and major topics of common interest.