Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, reiterated that “peace and tranquillity” in the border areas remains an “essential basis” for continued development of bilateral relations with China.Modi and Xi reaffirmed that “differences should not become disputes”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement after the two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit here in New Delhi.Related News: PM Modi, Chinese President Xi back ‘fair, reasonable’ settlement of boundary dispute“Both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties,” the MEA said, quoting Modi and Xi.Modi maintained that there was a need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues, the MEA said.Analysts said Modi’s reference to the “agreements” stems from the fact that the two countries have a series of agreements on maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These were breached by the People’s Liberation Army of China when it clashed with the Indian Army at multiple places along the LAC in eastern Ladakh during May-July 2020.On Saturday, the Prime Minister maintained the stance on “border areas” that he had taken during his previous two meetings with Xi. After the “easing” of tensions along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Modi and Xi met in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024. They followed it up with another meeting in Tianjin, China, in August 2025.At both meetings, Modi’s stance was clear on maintaining “peace at the borders”. At Tianjin, the Prime Minister had “underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations”. At Kazan, fresh from the four-year (2020-2024) military stand-off in eastern Ladakh, Modi had “underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquillity”.On Saturday, Modi and Xi “welcomed” the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin. Modi highlighted that both sides must be guided by the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.Saturday’s meeting between Modi and Xi comes within a week of senior military commanders of both sides having conducted two “flag meetings” in as many days along the LAC — the de facto boundary between the two countries — in Arunachal Pradesh. The two meetings took place on September 6 and 7.Sources said the meetings along the LAC took place within a month of the misunderstanding between the two militaries near Taksing in the Upper Subansiri district of the state. Taksing is under the command of 3 Corps of the Indian Army. The Indian Army has taken a firm stance in dealing with the position taken by Chinese troops in the area where these issues are ongoing, sources said.India and China have different perceptions of the Line of Actual Control in their respective territories and, at times, this leads to issues on the ground.Earlier in August, Special Representatives of India and China — National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi — met in Beijing on August 25 and agreed to continue seeking a “political settlement” of the disputed boundary between the two countries to address the long-term interests of both sides.