India and China are victims of terrorism, PM Modi tells Xi, in a shift from recent positions

In what could be a shift in New Delhi’s recent positions on the issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping that both countries are “victims” of terrorism and should work together to combat the “scourge” of cross-border terrorism.

Responding to a number of questions from the media about whether Mr. Modi had raised the issue of terrorism and in particular the Pahalgam terror attacks that India has blamed Pakistan for, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the issue was discussed during Sunday’s (August 31, 2025) bilateral meeting.

PM Modi in China ahead of SCO summit | Highlights on August 31, 2025

“[The] Prime Minister outlined his understanding very crisply and very specifically. 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,” Mr. Misri said at the media briefing held in Tianjin after the talks.

No comment on Chinese aid to Pakistan

In response to another question, Mr. Misri reiterated that the Prime Minister mentioned cross-border terrorism as a priority. “[Mr. Modi] underlined 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,” he added, side-stepping a question on China’s support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Mr. Misri also said that India has received China’s “understanding and cooperation” at the SCO on the issue of countering cross-border terrorism. India is hopeful of strong references to the issue of cross-border terrorism in the SCO joint statement to be released on Monday (September 1, 2025).

Shifting stance

When asked, officials did not clarify which specific incidents of terrorism against China Mr. Misri was referring to. Over the past decade, China has blamed Tibetan and Uyghur groups for violence in the country, and Baloch groups for attacks on Chinese workers in Pakistan. However, India has not previously endorsed those claims and has on occasion raised the issue of human rights in Xinjiang and Balochistan.

In 2016, Mr. Modi had appealed to Mr. Xi for support at the U.N. on banning Pakistan-based terrorists like the 26/11 operations mastermind Zaki Ur Rahman Lakhvi and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, especially after China placed a hold on their designations as terrorists at the U.N. Security Council. At the time, the Prime Minister had also said that “India and China are victims of terrorism, and the region is suffering from the menace”. Subsequently, however, India has not repeated this contention and has instead criticised Beijing on a number of occasions for “double-standards” and “double-speak” on terrorism.