Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 23 (ANI): China and India should be partners and focus on development, strengthen friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, and address each other's concerns to promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations, Consul General of China in Kolkata Xu Wei said.
Speaking on the 77th anniversary of the National Day of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday, Xu referred to the September 12 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in New Delhi.
“On September 12, our President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. The two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on the development of China-India relations. The most important consensus they reached is that China and India should be partners,” Xu said.
“As the two most populous countries in the world and the major members of the Global South, China and India should focus on development. We should strengthen friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation. We should improve public perception of our bilateral relations. We should address each other's concerns...in so doing, we can and will promote the sound and steady development of our bilateral relations,” he added.
Head of the MEA Branch Secretariat, Kolkata, Ashish Middha said India and China are “two ancient civilisations and major developing economies” with a long history of cultural and commercial exchanges.
“India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China on 1st April 1950,” Middha said.
Middha said President Xi Jinping visited India after seven years and participated in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.
“The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in bilateral relations and reaffirmed the importance of taking a strategic and long-term perspective on the relationship...as PM Modi has underlined, India's approach is guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest,” he said.
Middha also welcomed developments in bilateral ties, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, restoration of direct flights and reopening of border trade.
"The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, the restoration of direct flights, reopening of border trade, as well as progress towards facilitating greater movement through appropriate visa arrangements are welcome developments,” he said.
According to the official MEA press release on the September 12 meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025 and reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties.
The two leaders agreed that differences should not become disputes, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the need for both sides to be guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remained an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations and underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues.
The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question, proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples.
They also took note of progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries.
On economic and trade relations, the two leaders underlined the need to address each other's concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitate meaningful and predictable market access.
The two leaders also agreed that both sides must continue to expand common ground on regional and global issues and in addressing challenges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated China's support for India's BRICS chairship and its contributions towards the success of the BRICS Summit 2026. (ANI)
“China, India should be partners”: Chinese Consul General reiterates Modi-Xi call for development, mutual cooperation
