As Xi Jinping heads to India, China calls for ‘strategic’ and ‘long-term’ view of ties — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Xi Jinping is set to travel to India on Saturday (September 12, 2026) for his first visit in seven years, with talks scheduled with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
- China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday the two countries should handle relations 'from a strategic height and long-term perspective,' step up communication, enhance cooperation, and 'properly handle differences.'
- The Xi-Modi meeting will mark the third consecutive year the two leaders meet, following prior meetings in Kazan and Tianjin, according to Mao.
- Xi will 'put forward China's important initiatives and propositions, charting the course for greater BRICS cooperation' at the summit, with Mao framing BRICS as a key platform for emerging markets and the Global South.
- Wang Youming of the China Institute of International Studies called Xi's trip 'one of the biggest highlights,' noting that as close neighbours and founding BRICS members, the state of China-India ties 'has a direct bearing on the development of the mechanism.'
- Xi's visit is seen in China as continuing the gradual normalisation in bilateral relations while enabling greater cooperation between the two countries under the broader BRICS umbrella.
Why it matters: Xi's first India trip in seven years continues the gradual normalisation of China-India relations, with both sides framing the visit as cooperation rather than confrontation. The third straight leader-level meeting — after Kazan and Tianjin — institutionalises the Xi-Modi channel. For BRICS, China-India dynamics directly affect the mechanism's cohesion as both are founding members, giving Xi's announced initiatives weight beyond bilateral symbolism.
Ask SkimNews
