As Xi Jinping heads to India, China calls for ‘strategic’ and ‘long-term’ view of ties

China on Friday (September 11, 2026) said it was willing to work with India to handle relations “from a strategic height and long-term perspective”, a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first trip to India in seven years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi will on Saturday (September 12) hold talks on the sidelines of this week’s BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

“This will be the third year in a row for the two leaders to meet with each other following meetings in Kazan and Tianjin,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.

“China will 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, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good neighbourliness and partners helping each other,” she said.

BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE updates – September 11

At the summit this weekend, Mr. Xi will “put forward China’s important initiatives and propositions, charting the course for greater BRICS cooperation,” Ms. Mao said.

“BRICS is now a key platform for emerging market developing countries to uphold solidarity and cooperation. Since its founding, BRICS countries have upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. BRICS has stayed committed to upholding multilateralism, upholding fairness and justice and seeking common development. BRICS has grown into a real force standing at the forefront of the Global South,” she said.

In China, Mr. Xi’s visit to India has been seen as both an opportunity to continue the gradual normalisation in bilateral relations as well as enabling greater cooperation between the two countries under the broader BRICS umbrella as their ties gradually improve.

“One of the biggest highlights will be [President] Xi’s trip to India after seven years,” Wang Youming, an expert on China’s relations with developing countries at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), was quoted as saying in the official China Daily on Friday.

“China and India are not only close neighbours but also founding members and major participants in BRICS. The state of their relationship has a direct bearing on the development of the mechanism. Multilateral platforms can create opportunities for bilateral engagement, while improving bilateral relations can, in turn, facilitate coordination within multilateral mechanisms.”