India and China are partners, not rivals: Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, emphasized that China and India are "partners, not rivals."

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China and India are partners, not rivals, and opportunities, not threats, for each other’s development during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“In the past two years, he (President Xi Jinping) and Prime Minister Modi have met twice, guiding China-India relations from a ‘restart’ to a ‘further enhancement’. Institutional exchanges between the two countries have gradually resumed, the cooperation list has been continuously extended, and bilateral trade has reached a new high,” the Ministry added.

---

It said that China and India have different national conditions and can fully learn from each other’s strengths, support each other, achieve mutual success, and develop together.

“Faced with a complex and volatile international situation, China and India, as the world’s two most populous countries and important members of the Global South, shoulder important responsibilities. Both sides should keep the future of humanity in mind and prioritise the well-being of their people, working together to promote high-quality development of BRICS cooperation and provide more positive energy for promoting world peace, stability, development, and prosperity,” the Ministry stressed.

It noted that President Xi shared four points on promoting the steady and long-term development of China-India relations.

“First, we should calibrate our direction with an objective and rational strategic understanding. China and India are partners, not rivals, and opportunities, not threats, for each other’s development. This strategic judgment is based on the development stages of both countries and the international environment, and it aligns with the common interests of both countries and their people,” the statement said.

“Second, we should achieve mutual success through win-win cooperation,” it added.

The Ministry said that both sides should focus on development as the greatest common denominator, strengthening friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation.

“Third, we should eliminate interference with the political wisdom of mutual respect and understanding. We should commit to the parallel development and mutual promotion of bilateral relations and border issues, maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas,” the Ministry noted.

“Fourth, we should benefit the world through open and inclusive multilateral cooperation,” the Ministry said.

It noted that India and China should support each other’s presidency of BRICS, strengthen cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the G20, work together to address global challenges, and unequivocally defend international fairness and justice.