Transcript of Special Briefing by MEA on Prime Minister's visit to China (August 31, 2025)
India - Ministry of External Affairs
August 31, 2025
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this Special Press Briefing by Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri on the ongoing visit of the Prime Minister of India to Tianjin for the 25th SCO Summit.
We are also joined by our Ambassador to China, Shri Pradeep Rawat; our Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs who looks after East Asia Division, Shri Gourangalal Das; and our Joint Secretary who is in charge of SCO in the Ministry, Shri Mayank Singh. With that, I invite the Foreign Secretary to make his opening remarks on the developments so far.
Sir, the floor is yours.
Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you Randhir, good evening all. Thank you for joining us this evening.
As you are all aware, the Prime Minister is on a visit to Tianjin for the SCO Summit taking place here. He arrived in Tianjin yesterday evening to a warm reception by the host government, and subsequently a very vibrant cultural reception by the Indian community in Tianjin.
Prime Minister's first engagement this morning was a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China. We released a Statement on that meeting. You would be aware of the details. Let me just fill you in on a couple of aspects of the meeting.
As you are aware, this is the second meeting between the two leaders in the space of less than a year. Their last meeting was in Kazan in October last year, where they had laid down certain strategic guidelines for the development of bilateral relations, and set out certain goals to be achieved by the two sides.
In their meeting this morning, both the leaders were happy to note the progress that had been registered, the actions that had been taken since the meeting in Kazan, and the momentum that had been maintained in bilateral relations since that meeting, especially in the domain of people-to-people relations.
This morning, the leaders shared with each other, their perspectives for longer-term growth and development of the two countries. They spoke about their respective understanding of principles for bilateral relations, which it is expected will help guide the future work of the two sides as we work on other aspects of the relationship.
For instance, they both agreed that the two countries were primarily focused on their domestic development goals, and in this they were partners rather than rivals. It was also an element of consensus between them that a stable and amicable relationship between India and China can be to the benefit of the 2.8 billion people who live in the two countries. The common interests of the two countries outweigh their differences, and the two leaders also shared a consensus on the fact that differences should not be allowed to be turned into disputes. It was also understood that it is critical that India and China grow and cooperate if there is to be an Asian century, and a functioning multipolar world order with a multipolar Asia at its heart.
President Xi made four suggestions to further upgrade bilateral relations, namely to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust; to expand exchanges and cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results; to accommodate each other's concerns; and finally to strengthen multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests; and all of these were responded to positively by Prime Minister Modi.
The boundary issue also figured in the discussions. Both leaders took note of the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border regions since then. In voicing certain principles related to this issue, the Prime Minister underlined the need for peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations. There was understanding on the need to maintain peace on the borders using the existing mechanisms and avoid disturbances to the overall relationship going forward.
At this point, I want to highlight or draw your attention to the outcomes of the 24th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the boundary question, which was held in New Delhi less than two weeks ago. In their meeting today, both the leaders positively appraised these outcomes and decisions from that round of talks. They encouraged the efforts of the SRs, and agreed to accelerate the implementation of the outcomes and the understandings that have been reached between the SRs.
They also expressed a commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question, proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and in the long-term interests of the two peoples.
Amongst other issues, the two leaders also exchanged views on ways to increase and balance bilateral trade, strengthen people-to-people ties, cooperate on trans-border rivers and jointly fight terrorism. There was a desire to make additional progress on all of these issues on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual sensitivity.
In particular, on economic and trade relations, there was recognition of the role that the Indian and the Chinese economies can play in stabilizing world trade. Both leaders underlined the need once again to proceed from a political and strategic direction to reduce their bilateral trade deficit, facilitate bilateral trade and investment ties in both directions, and increase policy transparency and predictability.
There was also a discussion on regional and global issues and challenges, including with regard to multilateral platforms. Prime Minister expressed support for China's ongoing presidency of the SCO, and the summit in Tianjin. He also invited President Xi to the BRICS summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's full support to India's BRICS presidency.
In addition, following this meeting, Prime Minister had a separate meeting with His Excellency Mr. Cai Qi, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. As you are probably aware, Mr. Cai also holds several important positions in the party. There was originally a proposal from the Chinese side for Mr. Cai to host a banquet for the Prime Minister on behalf of President Xi Jinping. This was meant as a special gesture to show the importance attached by China to the visit of the Prime Minister, which was taking place after a hiatus of nearly seven years. However, as there was a scheduling conflict, it was decided to have a brief meeting between Prime Minister and Mr. Cai.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister shared his overall vision for the India-China relationship with Mr. Cai and sought his involvement and his role to realize the consensus of the two leaders. Mr. Cai, for his part, reiterated the Chinese side's desire to expand bilateral exchanges in various fields to address our respective concerns in economic areas, and to further improve relations in line with the consensus that had been reached between the Prime Minister and the President in their meeting earlier in the morning.
Slightly earlier this evening, the Prime Minister also had a bilateral meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission of Myanmar. The two leaders recalled their earlier meeting on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand earlier this year and reviewed their current state of bilateral ties. Prime Minister noted that India attaches great importance to its relations with Myanmar under its Neighborhood First and Act East policies. He underlined the importance of the development partnership between the two countries and sought Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's support for the ongoing connectivity projects between India and Myanmar.
There was also a discussion on the security and border issues. Prime Minister welcomed the announcement of elections in Myanmar and stated that dialogue was the only way forward to foster peace and stability in Myanmar. A short while ago in the evening, Prime Minister attended the official reception of the 25th SCO Summit hosted by President Xi Jinping for the visiting leaders.
Tomorrow, Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India.
Let me stop here, and I think we have time for a few questions.
Manish Chand, India Writes Network: Foreign Secretary, Manish Chand, India Writes Network. My question is about the ballooning trade deficit which is close to 100 billion dollars. You spoke about having a balanced economic relationship. What concrete measures / steps were unveiled? Was there any pledge by the Chinese side to step up investment in India?
My second question is, was there any progress on de-escalation? if the issue were discussed? And what is the way forward for the SR talks? Thank you.
Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg: Sir, Sudhi Ranjan Sen from Bloomberg. On the border talks, you did mention about the SR level talks. How does it go forward from here? In particular, the issue of delimitation that has been mentioned in the last Joint Statement.
Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist: Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist. Mera sawal yeh hai ki China ki taraf se jo byan jaari kiya gaya usme Rashtrapati Xi ke hawale se kaha gaya hai ki unhone Pradhanmantri Modi se yeh kaha, aur mai quote kar raha hu, ki "hame seema varti kshetro mein shanti aur sauhard banaye rakhne ke liye milkar kam karna chahiye aur seema mudde ko samagra China Bharat sambandho ko paribhashit nahi karne dena chahiye."
Sawal yeh hai ki Bharat kya China ke is rukh se sehmat hai? Kyunki Bharat pehle se yeh kehta raha hai ki 2020 April ke pehle ki yataasithi jo hai, woh pehli shart hai dono desho ke beech sambandho ko samanya karne ki.
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist. My question is that in the statement issued by China, it was said on behalf of President Xi — and I am quoting — that he told Prime Minister Modi that we should work together to maintain peace and harmony in the border areas, and that the boundary issue should not be allowed to define the overall China-India relationship.
Does India agree with this position of China? Because India has been saying all along that the restoration of the status quo that existed before April 2020 is the first condition for normalizing relations between the two countries.
Sidhant Sibal, WION: Hi sir, Sidhant from WION. Sir, how much was the discussion on the issue of cross border terrorism, the terrorism emanating from Pakistan ... during the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping?
And, my second question is, Prime Minister mentioned about direct flights as well as announcements. Are we looking at any timetable, when in next few months we are looking at direct flights?
Megha Prasad, ABP: Sir, I am Megha Prasad from ABP. My question is about the conversation that President Zelenskyy had with Prime Minister Modi yesterday, and he puts out on Twitter, and he says, while he was talking to Prime Minister, he has also said that Ukraine reaffirms its readiness for a meeting with the head of Russia.
Now, Prime Minister is meeting President Putin tomorrow. Is there some sort of an expectation from Ukraine that India would mediate? If yes, what is the stand that India would take in this situation?
Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So, Manish, to your question on the deficit. Yes, it is a fact that there is a large and ongoing trade deficit between India and China. And this has been a matter of discussion over several years.
In the current context as well ... in fact, this is a discussion that started even when Foreign Minister Wangi Yi was in Delhi, and meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar. The issue was raised there as well by us.
I would go back to the point that I mentioned in my briefing, which was essentially what the Prime Minister shared with President Xi Jinping today, that it is important also to look at the issue of trade and trade deficit from the broad strategic direction and engagement between the two countries. Growing trade between the two countries and narrowing of the deficit will contribute to a change in perception in the relationship as well. But this is a discussion that is going on at many levels, it's between Governments, between Businesses, between entities that are involved in the trade, and we will have to see how it evolves going forward.
On your question related to de-escalation, I would refer you to the detailed outcome document that was put out after the talks between the SRs. This is a discussion that will go forward in the designated mechanisms between the two sides dealing with these issues.
Sudhi, more or less the same goes for your question on how the border talks go forward. You have again seen the statement that we put out after the SRs' talks. You are aware that dedicated mechanisms have been created for taking these talks forward. We expect that these ... the existing mechanisms which is the working mechanism for coordination and cooperation in the border areas between India and China will meet in the coming days and weeks and the respective leaders of this mechanism from the two sides will come to an understanding on how these mechanisms for the delimitation related talks are going to go forward.
Uma, aapka jo prashn tha ki jo rashtrapati Xi ne kaha hai boundary issues aur dvipakshy sambandho ke bare mein. Dekhiye main sirf itna kahunga ki hum shuru se ye mante aaye hain, aur alag alag star pe hum ye saf kahte aa rahe hain, ki boundary pe jo stithi hogi ... woh stithi ... hum uska jo asar hai woh dvipakshy rishton mein kisi na kisi tarah dekhenge. Aur isi vajah se sabse jo ek tarah se insurance policy hai dvipakshy sambandho ke liye woh boundary pe peace aur tranquility maintain karna hai.
Toh ye baat aaj bade spast tarike se pradhan mantriji ne bhi rashtrapati Xi ke samne rakhi aur hum ise man ke chalte hain.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] Uma, regarding your question about what President Xi has said on boundary issues and bilateral relations, let me just say this: From the very beginning, we have maintained, and at various levels we have made it clear, that the situation on the boundary will inevitably have some impact on bilateral relations. And that is precisely why the most important kind of "insurance policy" for our bilateral ties is to maintain peace and tranquility on the boundary. So today, Prime Minister himself also conveyed this very clearly to President Xi, and we will continue to maintain this position.
Sidhant, on your questions. Cross-border terrorism was mentioned by the Prime Minister as a priority. And, I would add that he did underline the fact that this is something that impacts both India and China. And, that it's important therefore that we extend understanding and extend support to each other as both of us combat cross-border terrorism. And I would in fact like to say that we have received the understanding and cooperation of China as we have dealt with the issue of cross-border terrorism in the context of the ongoing SCO summit.
To your question on direct flights, this is something on which the two sides have been engaged quite intensely in recent weeks and months, following the direction and the understanding between the two sides at a higher level earlier this year that this is one of the areas in which we should move forward.
Since then, a number of rounds of technical level talks have been held. If I'm not mistaken there was a civil aviation delegation from India in Beijing earlier this week for further discussions. My understanding is that at a broad level an agreement or a consensus has been reached on restarting direct flights and this is something that you heard the Prime Minister refer to in his comments this morning. What remains, I think, are certain operational issues and the two sides are in contact with each other. There are issues related to the air services agreement, issues related to scheduling, calendar, etc. My understanding is that these will be addressed in the coming few weeks and we should see a resumption of direct flights soon after that.
Megha, your question on the Prime Minister's conversation with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. I think we have put out an account of the conversation between the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy as to how and what will be reflected in the conversation with President Putin. I would at this stage not preempt the conversation that is going to take place tomorrow afternoon. We'll try and update you on the proceedings in that conversation once it takes place tomorrow.
Gaurie Dwivedi, NDTV: Sir, Gaurie Dwivedi from NDTV. First question, Sir. Did the issue of additional tariffs imposed by the Trump administration figure in the talks? ... in the backdrop of China supporting India's stance?
And secondly, with regard to the Chinese applications that remain blocked in India, has there been any discussion to that effect?
Shubhajit Roy, Indian Express: Foreign Secretary, Shubhajit Roy here from Indian Express. In the readout, in the Indian statement, I see that it's been framed that India and China are not rivals, but partners. How do you square this with the fact, and the ground reality that more than 50,000 troops from Indian side, and another 50,000 are still deployed and stationed at the India-China border?
Aditya Raj Kaul, NDTV: Foreign Secretary, Aditya Raj Kaul from NDTV. On the cross-border terrorism front, was Pahalgam terror attack raised here, because there were reports that the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and TRF were actually holding Chinese equipment, including Ultra-Sets and Alpine apps. Apart from that, on the Operation Sindoor front, the Chinese equipment used by the Pakistan army, did that also figure?
Apart from that, second quick question on Taiwan. Last time, there was some kind of a communication gap when Wang Yi visited New Delhi. On Taiwan, there was a statement by the Foreign Ministry here in Beijing. They said that, there was some kind of a change in policy. Is there a change? Would you reiterate India's position on Taiwan? Thank you.
Colum Murphy, Bloomberg: Colum Murphy from Bloomberg. I just wanted to point out the fourth point by Xi Jinping. Regarding to the strengthening of multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests. Can I ask, from the Indian perspective, what perhaps might be those multilateral organizations that you might be working through?
And, in particular, what are those common interests? Do they include trade, tariffs, for example? So, can you give a little bit more specifics on this point? What's the Indian perspective on President Xi's point? Thank you.
Arun, Doordarshan: Sir main Arun hoon Doordarshan se. Sir SCO summit ke andar Prime Minister Modi ka kal participation rahega. Toh kis tarah se basically India approach karega SCO summit ko is bar? Cross-border terrorism atankwad jaise mudde, terror financing jaise mudde, kai multilateral platform mein pehle bhi raise ho chuke hain. Lekin kal jab Prime Minister Modi honge aur India kis tarah se SCO summit ko approach karega sir?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Sir, I am Arun from Doordarshan. Sir, since Prime Minister Modi will be participating in the SCO Summit tomorrow, how will India basically approach the Summit this time? Issues like cross-border terrorism, and terror financing have already been raised on many multilateral platforms. But tomorrow, when Prime Minister Modi is there, how will India approach the SCO Summit, Sir?
Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. On the question related to ... Gauri's question on tariffs, etc. Look, what I'll say is that the two leaders discussed the international economic situation. They recognized the challenges that flow as a result of what we see happening around us. And, the focus of the discussion, I would say, remained in the bilateral domain.
Of course, as I said, they recognized what's happening on the international plane, and the challenges it creates. But they tried to, in a sense, see how to leverage that for building greater understanding between themselves, and how to, in a sense, take forward the economic and commercial relationship between India and China in the midst of these evolving challenges.
As to your question about the Chinese applications, I don't have any update for you on this at the moment. Perhaps, you could refer to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India for this.
Subhajit, your question on squaring the issue of partners, not rivals, with troops at the border. Look, as I said, the formulation of the two countries being partners, not rivals, or as is put somewhat differently, of being opportunities for each other and not challenges, this is the framing of the relationship. Both leaders have done this framing of the relationship. This is what is desired. And this is what they see as the future of the relationship as well.
The troops at the border, which are a reality, though I think that is again a situation that has started evolving over the course of the last year as the situation at the borders has become more ... or is moving towards normalization. That is something that has come about as a result of actions that have been taken at a particular point in time. And that's obviously led to a certain crisis. And it is that crisis that we have dealt with, or attempted to deal with over the course of the last five, five and a half years.
That doesn't change the fact that the two leaders, and not just these two leaders, but previous leaders as well ... what they have framed for the medium to long term future of the relationship, which is that we should try being the two large neighbors that we are to each other, being two of the largest economies in the world, being the only two billion plus population countries in the world. That, the future that we should aspire to, the future that we should aim at, the one that we should work towards, is one of partnership and not one of rivalry.
Aditya, on your questions related to cross-border terrorism. Look, all I'll say is that, without going into the specifics, that the issue was discussed. It was raised by the Prime Minister, and he outlined his understanding very, very crisply and very specifically on this issue. As I said, he outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace. And he asked for China's support on this particular issue. And, as I said, the Chinese have extended their support in various ways on addressing this issue.
As to your question on Taiwan, the answer is quite simple. There is no change in India's position on Taiwan.
Colum's question on the specifics of the two leaders talking about strengthening multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests. Well, essentially, if you look at what's happening in the space of global trade, for instance, or multilateral finance, for instance, the understanding really is to do with addressing the deficit in global governance. In these institutions that look after world trade or the multilateral financial architecture. Obviously, there is a deficit in how the WTO is working, for instance. There is even a deficit in how the United Nations is working at this point in time.
These are obviously common interests for two countries, such as India and China, that are large actors on the international commercial, economic, and financial stage. And therefore, it is obvious for them to have a certain amount of understanding in strengthening these institutions that were originally tasked with looking at these issues.
Aapka jo sawal tha SCO ko leke. Dekhiye SCO ki baithak kal shuru hone wali hai, aur mera anuman hai ki SCO ke baithak ke baad hum ek vyakatavy uske bare mein nikalenge. Toh abhi pre-judge na kare, usko preempt na kare, kal uske bare mein kuch samachar aapko denge.
Bahut bahut dhanyavad.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] Regarding your question on the SCO. The SCO meeting is going to begin tomorrow, and my sense is that after the meeting we will issue a statement about it. So, let us not pre-judge it now, let us not pre-empt it. Tomorrow, we will share information with you on that.
Thank you very much.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you, sir. With that, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the closer of this Press Briefing. We shall keep you updated with developments of tomorrow.
Thank you.
Tianjin
August 31, 2025
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