New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for bilateral talks focusing on normalising ties by expanding trade and investment.

The meeting took place hours after Xi arrived in the national capital on a two-day visit to attend the BRICS Summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years.

The meeting signalled that the two most-populous countries of the world are making cautious effort to put their bilateral relationship on a more stable footing, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping stressing the need for a long-term, strategic approach to ties.

"They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long term perspective of their ties. Di...