World
China Signals Long-Term Cooperation With India Ahead of Xi Jinping's BRICS Visit
China announced on Friday, September 11, 2026, its willingness to work with India to manage bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, a day before President Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi are scheduled to meet on Saturday, September 12, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning noted that this marks the third consecutive year the two leaders have met, following previous engagements in Kazan and Tianjin. She stated that China intends to follow the strategic direction set by both leaders, strengthen communication, enhance cooperation, and properly manage differences, while fostering good neighborly relations and mutual partnership.
During the summit, President Xi is expected to present China's key initiatives and proposals aimed at strengthening BRICS cooperation. Mao Ning described BRICS as an important platform for emerging market and developing nations to promote solidarity and cooperation. She added that BRICS members have consistently supported openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial cooperation, while championing multilateralism, fairness, and shared development. According to her, BRICS has become a significant force representing the interests of the Global South.
Within China, Xi's trip to India is viewed as a chance to build on the gradual improvement in bilateral relations and to deepen cooperation between the two countries within the broader BRICS framework. Wang Youming, an expert on China's relations with developing countries at the China Institute of International Studies, told China Daily that Xi's visit—his first to India in seven years—is one of the summit's most notable aspects. He emphasized that India and China, as neighboring countries and founding BRICS members, play a crucial role in shaping the organization's future. He added that multilateral platforms like BRICS can create opportunities for bilateral engagement, while improved bilateral ties can also support broader coordination within multilateral frameworks.