Even as President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Delhi on Saturday for the two-day BRICS summit and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China highlighted the importance of handling the differences between the two countries, keeping in mind a long-term perspective.
This will be Xi's first visit to India in nearly seven years. The visit is significant, as it comes amid efforts by the two nations to normalise relations after a prolonged freeze following the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff.
Asked how China viewed the Modi-Xi meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing that this will be the third year in a row that both leaders will meet following meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.
China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication and enhance cooperation to properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good neighbourliness and partners helping each other, Mao said, reported news agency PTI.
Speaking about the BRICS summit, Mao said it was now a key platform for emerging markets and developing countries to uphold solidarity and cooperation. Since its founding, BRICS countries have upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, she said.
BRICS has stayed committed to upholding multilateralism, fairness and justice and seeking common development. It has grown into a real force standing at the forefront of the Global South, she said.
China attaches great importance to BRICS and actively participates in BRICS cooperation, she said.
About the significance of the New Delhi summit, which is taking place amid the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, Mao said China stands ready to work with BRICS countries to settle disputes through dialogue and negotiation and contribute to peace and stability.
The visit of the Chinese president to India is expected to be a high-profile diplomatic engagement with implications for the ongoing efforts to stabilise bilateral ties between the two countries as well as for BRICS cooperation amid a volatile global situation.
Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai.
He had earlier visited Goa in 2016 to attend the BRICS summit and made his first visit to India in September 2014, when he held extensive talks with Modi. The 2014 visit came during the first terms of both leaders.
Against the backdrop of the discussions on the boundary and wider bilateral issues that the the two countries have been having in the recent years, a Modi-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit is expected to be closely watched for indications of the future course of India-China relations.
—With inputs from PTI
