Ahead of Xi's Delhi visit, China urges India to manage differences wisely
China on Friday said India and China should handle their differences properly and view bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit and talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Xi will arrive on Saturday to attend the BRICS summit, his first visit to India in nearly seven years, and is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Modi on the sidelines. Beijing said the meeting will mark the third straight year in which the two leaders meet, following their meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.
Asked how China viewed the Modi-Xi meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing would work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication and enhance cooperation, and properly handle differences. She said the two countries should be 'friends enjoying good neighbourliness and partners helping each other'.
On the BRICS summit, Mao said the grouping had become a key platform for emerging markets and developing countries to uphold solidarity and cooperation. Since its founding, she said, BRICS countries have upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. She added that BRICS has stayed committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice, and common development, and has grown into 'a real force standing at the forefront of the Global South'. Mao also said China attaches great importance to BRICS and actively participates in its cooperation.
Asked about the significance of the New Delhi summit amid the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, Mao said China was ready to work with BRICS countries to settle disputes through dialogue and negotiation and contribute to peace and stability. As the current chair of the grouping, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai. He had earlier travelled to Goa in 2016 for the BRICS summit and made his first visit to India in September 2014, when he held extensive talks with Modi during the first terms of both leaders.
The visit comes amid efforts by India and China to normalise relations after the prolonged freeze that followed the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff. Ahead of Xi's visit, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held extensive talks in Beijing last month on the boundary issue, peace and tranquillity along the border, and steps to improve bilateral relations. During the 25th round of Special Representatives' talks in Beijing on August 25, the two sides reached an eight-point consensus and agreed to advance discussions on an 'Early and Substantial Harvest' of boundary delimitation and border management. Against this backdrop, the Modi-Xi meeting is expected to be closely watched for indications of the future course of India-China ties.
BRICS originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year. India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. It assumed its fourth chairship on January 1, and 2026 will mark 20 years of the grouping's establishment. Xi's visit, set against efforts to steady India-China ties and deepen BRICS cooperation, will bring both tracks into focus in New Delhi.
