"it is the right choice for both sides to be friends"
China and India are signalling closer ties after years of tension, including a long-running border dispute.
The leaders of the two Asian powers met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.
It is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in seven years.
China’s President Xi Jinping told Modi that China and India should be partners, not rivals.
Modi said there was now an “atmosphere of peace and stability” between them.
The SCO summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders, is overshadowed this year by ongoing trade wars with the United States.
President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin faces threats of sanctions over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
As the US-India relationship faces increasing headwinds, Modi is moving closer to Xi. Both countries are not only the most populous in the world but also home to two of the largest economies globally.
Modi announced that flights between India and China, suspended since deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border in 2020, would resume, though he did not provide a timeline.
Xi added: “Both sides need to approach and handle our relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective” and “it is the right choice for both sides to be friends”.
While largely symbolic, the SCO summit allows leaders to air common grievances and shared interests. It comes days before a massive military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II.
The SCO has ten member states, including Russia, Pakistan and Iran, and 16 dialogue partners and observers.
Putin, a close ally of China, arrived in Tianjin to a red carpet welcome.
The grouping was founded in 2001 by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries to limit the influence of Western alliances such as NATO.
This year’s summit is the largest since its creation.
Tianjin has become a showcase for the event.
Banners and billboards promoting the summit cover the northern port city, while tens of thousands of spectators gather at night along the riverside to watch a light show on tower blocks.
During the day, roadblocks have slowed pedestrians, and taxis and other hire car services have been suspended in the downtown area to allow visiting leaders’ motorcades to pass quickly.
Despite this, crowds remain enthusiastic about being part of what has been described as a historic meeting.
Police have advised Tianjin’s more than 13 million residents to avoid moving around the city if possible and to purchase necessities from nearby shops.
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