Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China, said on Sept. 12 local time that China is willing to play its due role with fellow BRICS members in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf region.

In a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi also said China and India are partners in cooperation rather than rivals and should pursue common development.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China, speaks at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 12, stressing that global multipolarity is inevitable. / Beijing Youth Daily

According to Chinese media including Beijing Youth Daily on Sept. 13, Xi said in a speech at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, that “BRICS should become a leading force in safeguarding peace and stability,” while stressing China’s role.

“BRICS countries should oppose Cold War thinking, bloc confrontation, violations of other countries’ sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs,” Xi said. “We should play a constructive role in resolving major issues and make a distinctive BRICS contribution by seeking solutions that address both the symptoms and root causes.”

Xi also said “BRICS should become a leading force in reforming and improving global governance,” calling on members to keep pace with the democratization of international relations, promote a more just and equitable global governance system and uphold the authority of the United Nations.

“BRICS should support the multilateral trading system centered on the World Trade Organization and reject all forms of protectionist measures,” he said. He also called for BRICS to take the lead in global governance in emerging areas such as cyberspace, outer space and the deep sea, while expanding the voice of BRICS countries.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation, Xi said the grouping “has become the world’s most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.”

Xi also announced that China will assume the rotating BRICS chairmanship next year and host the 19th BRICS Summit.

“China is ready to work with all countries to build consensus and create a better future, opening the third ‘golden decade’ of BRICS cooperation,” Xi said. “We are ready to usher in a bright future of prosperity and progress together.”

At a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the same day, Xi stressed that the two countries should pursue common development and work together to resolve border issues that have long hindered bilateral ties.

“China has always viewed and developed China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective,” Xi said, adding that two meetings with Modi over the past two years had helped move bilateral relations from a “restart” to a “new takeoff.”

Modi thanked China for its cooperation in connection with the BRICS summit.

“India and China should be partners, not rivals,” Modi said. “We hope to see each other’s development not as a challenge, but as an opportunity.”

According to Beijing diplomatic sources, China-India relations deteriorated sharply after a deadly border clash in 2020. More recently, however, the two countries have accelerated efforts to improve ties through contacts between their leaders and dialogue among diplomatic and security officials.

Xi and Modi met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024. They met again last year at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin.

BRICS was initially established as a political cooperation framework among Brazil, Russia, India and China, before South Africa joined and the grouping developed into a major global bloc with positions that often differ from those of the European Union and other Western-led groupings.

It has since expanded into a broader multilateral platform centered on emerging economies, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia joining. China is widely seen as playing a de facto leadership role in the group.

                                                                                                           Hong Soon-do