Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands, greeted each other, swapped praise and had "a conversation on a wide range of issues" at an informal meeting of the BRICS nations in Germany's Hamburg on Friday.
The significant diplomatic gestures come even as military formations of India and China stand locked in a month-long standoff in an area near Sikkim that Beijing claims as its own.
The warmth in Hamburg was, however, missing in Beijing, where the Chinese Foreign Office continued to step up its offensive and accused India of having "ulterior motives" by raising the border issue. It said that in the 1890 Sino-British Treaty, the border had been settled.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the boundaries in the area should not change with the passage of time. "The so-called tri-junction point, as the name implies, is a point instead of a line or an area," he said. Indian soldiers arrived at the area early in June to stop the construction of a road by the Chinese Army that India has said has security implications for it.
In Hamburg, where PM Modi and President Jinping are participating in a two-day G-20 summit, met at the informal meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) countries. These emerging economies are also members of G-20.
US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France's Emmanuel Macron and the UK's Theresa May will be participating in the summit.
The Chinese President, while making concluding remarks, appreciated India's strong resolve against terrorism. He also appreciated India's success in economic and social development, and wished India an even bigger success. PM Modi, who spoke just before him, "appreciated the momentum in BRICS under the chairmanship of President Xi" and extended cooperation and best wishes for the BRICS summit to be held in China's Xiamen later this year.
He emphasised that G-20 should collectively oppose terror financing, franchises, safe havens, support and sponsors. He also advocated a collective voice against protectionism, especially in the spheres of trade and movement of knowledge and professionals.
India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted that the two leaders had a "conversation on a range of issues".
Modi emphasised that it was necessary to work together for sustained global economic recovery. He also referred to the reforms carried out by his government, including the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
On Thursday, China had ruled out any bilateral meeting between the two leaders, saying that "the atmosphere is not right". Retaliating, India had said it had not sought such a meeting.
Xi urged the BRICS countries to push for "peaceful settlement" of regional disputes, an oblique reference to the standoff with India.
He pressed the BRICS members to unswervingly build an open-world economy, champion multilateralism and promote common development.
The meeting was also attended by Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Jacob Zuma. The leaders, including PM Modi, pledged to work together for positive results at the BRICS summit in the south-eastern Chinese seaside city of Xiamen later this year.
In Hamburg, outside the summit venue, reports of violent protests by various rights groups, including anti-capitalist ones, continued pouring in.
The port city has been converted into a fortress for the summit being attended by 4,800 journalists from more than 67 countries.
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