"China and India represent development opportunities for each other, not threats," Xi told the Indian leader. "As long as the two countries keep this overall direction in mind, specific issues in bilateral relations will be resolved, and stable and lasting development in relations will be achieved," he added.
According to the Chinese president, China and India are important members of the global South and bear a decisive responsibility for promoting the well-being of their two peoples and the renewal of developing countries.
Highlighting the 75th anniversary of Sino-Indian diplomatic relations this year, he said that the two countries should view their relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. "While the success of last year's Kazan meeting made it possible to restart China-India relations, the two sides need to further improve their relations after the Tianjin meeting," the Chinese leader said.
The border conflict in June 2020 claimed lives on both sides, but the two Asian leaders agreed in Kazan last October that India and China would launch an investigation into the possibilities for resolving border disputes and stabilizing relations. "We must not allow the border issue to define the entirety of Sino-Indian relations," he said.
Modi, who was visiting China for the first time in seven years, responded to the Chinese president's speech by noting that bilateral relations had returned to a positive track since last year's meeting and agreed with the Chinese president that their countries were not rivals, he said. He stated that India is ready to view bilateral relations and their development from a long-term perspective. "Both countries pursue strategic autonomy and independent foreign policies, and their bilateral relations are not subject to the influence of third parties," the Indian prime minister said, adding that Indian-Chinese cooperation will make the 21st century a truly "Asian century."
The meeting between the leaders of the world's two most populous countries took place in the port city of Tianjin, near Beijing, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is being held these days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Tianjin on Sunday, is also attending the summit, which runs until Monday, and is expected to meet with Chinese and Indian leaders in the coming days.
