China and India agree to view each other as partners, not rivals, says Wang Yi
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that after a candid discussion between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi at the BRICS summit, the two leaders agreed India and China should be partners rather than rivals.
At the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi conveyed that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a candid, detailed dialogue on long-term bilateral matters and reached a key consensus to treat China and India as partners rather than rivals. Both leaders said they would leverage each other's strengths, support one another’s development, and maintain peace along their disputed border.
They also agreed to back each other during their respective BRICS presidencies and to deepen cooperation in trade, cultural exchange, and direct air links. Modi reiterated India’s willingness to be a “partner, not an adversary” and stressed an independent foreign policy. The ministries pledged to manage differences, coordinate in the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and G20, and pursue a fair resolution of the boundary issue. Chinese spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing will work with New Delhi to implement the understandings and broaden the cooperation agenda, especially as China prepares to assume the BRICS chair in 2027.
Why it matters
The agreement signals a shift toward cooperation between two populous rivals, affecting regional stability and trade.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same bilateral consensus to view each other as partners, but left-leaning coverage highlights Modi’s claim of an independent foreign policy and China’s praise of that stance, whereas centrist coverage stresses the formal agreement to treat one another as partners and outlines the concrete areas of cooperation.
LEFT
Frames the story around Modi’s independent foreign policy and China’s praise of his stance, presenting the partnership as a positive endorsement of India’s autonomy.
CENTER
Frames the story as a diplomatic milestone where both leaders agree to treat each other as partners, detailing the intended cooperation and peacekeeping measures.
The left emphasises
- Modi’s independent foreign policy
- China praising Modi’s call
- partnership as a mutual endorsement
In this story
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