One could almost hear the teeth gnashing in the British Foreign Office when news arrived today that “on the afternoon of September 12 local time, President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India. The two leaders had a sincere and in-depth exchange of views and reached the important consensus that China and India should be partners.”
The City of London and Wall Street have been hoping and praying that divergences and conflicts within the BRICS—both real and fabricated—could be used to fracture that organization and neuter it. At the top of the British list are the long-standing difficulties in the relationship between India and China—the two most populous nations on the planet—which in the past have obstructed joint progress.
Not this time.
According to the read-out published by China’s embassy in Washington, “President Xi pointed out that China always approaches and develops its relations with India from a strategic and long-term perspective.” The note reported him saying: “Over the past two years, I have met with Prime Minister Modi twice, guiding the bilateral relations from starting afresh to making further improvements…. This situation has not come easily and needs to be cherished. China and India have different national realities. We should draw on each other’s strengths, support each other, help each other succeed, and develop together. In the face of the changing and turbulent international landscape, the world’s two most populous countries and important members of the Global South shoulder important responsibilities. Both sides should keep in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of the people, and work together to promote the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, so as to contribute more positive energy to promoting world peace, stability, development, and prosperity.”
Xi added four observations: “First, China and India are partners rather than rivals, and development opportunities rather than threats to each other…. Second, help each other succeed in the spirit of win-win cooperation. Both sides should focus on development as the greatest common denominator…. Third, remove irritants with the political wisdom of mutual respect and mutual understanding. The two sides should stay committed to advancing bilateral relations and resolving the boundary question…. Fourth, contribute to a better world with open and inclusive multilateral coordination.”
For his part, “Prime Minister Modi recalled the many productive meetings he has had with President Xi, which have guided India-China relations in a positive direction and serve the common interests of the over 2.8 billion people of the two countries. As two major civilizations, India and China have engaged in exchanges and mutual learning and moved forward hand in hand for thousands of years. India always views its relations with China from a strategic and long-term perspective. It hopes to be a partner, not a rival, of China, and regards each other’s development as an opportunity, not a challenge. India has an independent foreign policy, and developing relations with China is not affected by any third party… and it will not allow any force to engage in anti-China activities on its territory…. The two sides should work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas… act as a force for stability and progress in a turbulent world.”
