India's Modi and China's Xi seek to reset ties on BRICS sidelines

Six years after soldiers died in a brutal Himalayan border clash, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping are back to the careful handshakes on the margins of a summit. That says plenty on its own. When two rivals pick the BRICS sidelines for a “reset,” it’s usually less about warm feelings and more about managing risk, money, and optics. This is diplomacy with a calculator out.

Modi has reasons to keep the temperature down. India wants growth, supply chains, and room to maneuver. China has reasons too, starting with an economy that can’t afford endless friction and a region that’s getting more complicated by the month. But let’s not pretend the underlying problem went away. The border dispute is still there, the memories of that deadly clash are still fresh, and Beijing’s habit of testing lines, literally and figuratively, didn’t stop because a meeting got scheduled. A photo op isn’t a peace deal.

The BRICS setting matters. It’s the kind of club where big powers try to look like they’re writing the rules instead of reacting to them. India showing it can sit across from Xi without blinking is part of that message. China showing it can calm one front while pushing on others is part of its message. For the U.S., the lesson is straightforward: countries will cut deals where they can, even with rivals, when it suits them. America can’t assume “anti-China” alliances run on autopilot.

We should want a stable Asia, but we shouldn’t confuse stability with trust. If Modi is buying time, fine. If Xi is buying leverage, also likely. Either way, Washington needs to read this meeting as a reminder that power politics didn’t end, it just got better manners for the cameras.