Warming ties: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. (Reuters/India's Press Information Bureau)
India and China's leaders pledged on Saturday to build up business and transport links, New Delhi said, as both rebuild ties badly damaged by a 2020 military clash on their disputed Himalayan border.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS group of emerging nations in New Delhi — Xi's first trip to India in seven years.
Military tensions have eased, but businesses in both countries say they continue to face hurdles, including red tape, visa delays and restrictions on selling industrial equipment.
"The two leaders [...] underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"On economic and trade relations, they underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access," it said.
