China Urges Deeper India Ties, Backs BRICS Chairship
Beijing's envoy called for translating leadership-level consensus into concrete cooperation, extending support for New Delhi's ongoing BRICS presidency
Synopsis
The Chinese ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, has urged the leaders of the BRICS nations to put their recent agreement into action, and reiterated Beijing's backing for India's current chairmanship of the group. The remarks represent a gradual easing of tension between the two Asian rivals, but a continued rivalry in the region.
AdvertisementThe Envoy's Message
On Tuesday, China urged the need for further strengthening of the bilateral partnership with India and for the talks between its leaders and Indian counterparts to be put into practice, while also expressing its readiness to help propel the expansion of BRICS.
Alongside its support for India's BRICS Chairship and its willingness to help increase the grouping's size. The remarks were made at a reception to mark the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which was attended by Ambassador Xu Feihong. India and China are now BRICS Chair.
AdvertisementContext: A Gradual Thaw
This is a continuation of the higher level exchanges discussed early this year. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with the Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting, emphasising the importance of further enhancing cooperation between the two nations in Asia and the Global South.
In this regard, Wang said the idea of "relationship" should be looked at from a "long-term and global perspective" between China and India, as the two countries are the world's two most populous economies.
This reciprocity is rooted in institutions. In August 2025, the two sides announced that they will support each other in the upcoming BRICS presidencies, with China supporting India's 2026 chairmanship and India supporting China's 2027 chairmanship. India took over the presidency of BRICS on 1 January 2026 with the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
The depth of caution: The Undercurrent of Caution
Washington's portrayal of BRICS as an anti-Western grouping, bolstered by trade leverage, has put an external pressure on New Delhi's chairmanship. Expressions of goodwill have not always led to substantial progress in addressing important issues like the unresolved border, according to analysts.
AdvertisementDiplomatic assurances will only be interpreted as an effective course of action and not as an effective de-escalation unless accompanied by a corresponding tangible de-escalation, as one online commentator described the same scenario in similar past exchanges.
Why It Matters
China's support for India's chairmanship of the BRICS group of nations guarantees the new, 10-plus-nation organization will be more cohesive at a time when it is facing pressure from Washington, for India.
To China, the India-China cooperation over 2027’s chairship, coupled with the India-China cooperation over 2025’s chairship, indicates that both sides are keen to quieten the relationship enough to enable economic and diplomatic engagement to move forward, while strategic rivalry over the Himalayan border and the Indo-Pacific continues to run side by side.
