Beijing: As President Xi Jinping arrives in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS summit and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China said India and China should “handle differences properly” and see their relationship from a “strategic height and long-term perspective”.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, briefing reporters in Beijing on Friday, confirmed that the two sides are arranging the Xi–Modi meeting on the sidelines of the summit. It will be the third year in a row the two leaders have met, after their meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.
“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed,” Mao said.
BRICS Role & China’s Plans
Mao called BRICS a key platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, as reported by The New Indian Express.
She said, “President Xi will attend and address the upcoming summit, have in-depth exchanges with other leaders on major issues including the current international situation, the development of BRICS mechanisms, and deepening practical cooperation, and put forward China’s important initiatives and propositions, charting the course for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation.”
She added, “China is ready to work with fellow BRICS countries for steady and sustained progress in greater BRICS cooperation to contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.”
Security View, Global Wars
With the New Delhi BRICS meet unfolding against the backdrop of the Iran–US conflict and the Russia–Ukraine war, Mao outlined Beijing’s security philosophy as “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable”.
“We are committed to promoting the political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue. We look forward to working with fellow BRICS countries to promote dialogue and negotiation to resolve differences and jointly safeguard regional and global peace and stability,” she said.
Boundary Talks In Focus
Xi’s trip marks his first visit to India in almost seven years and is being viewed as a key step towards cooling tensions after the 2020 Eastern Ladakh face-off. As current BRICS chair, India is convening the two-day summit on September 12–13 in the capital.
Just weeks before the summit, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held wide-ranging talks in Beijing on the border question and broader efforts to reset bilateral ties.
At the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on August 25 in Beijing, both sides arrived at an eight-point understanding and agreed to push forward work on an Early and Substantial Harvest package covering boundary delineation and border management.
BRICS Growth, India’s Chair
Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS widened its membership in 2024 with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia; Indonesia joined the following year. A further 11 nations — among them Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vietnam — were admitted as partner countries last year.
