Wang Yi urges India-China BRICS Alliance to Champion Global South amid US-Iran Escalation

By R Anil Kumar

• India -China should see each other as partners, not rivals. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, pushes for warmer ties with India

• Wang Yi said both Nations are eagerly implementing the understandings reached by the leaders, highlighting the renewed interactions at all levels between India and China, which have led to a new record in bilateral trade and closer people-to-people exchanges

Beijing, March 8, 2026. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged greater cooperation between India and China amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing, Wang emphasised the need for the two nations to support each other’s presidencies of BRICS over the next two years.

He highlighted the potential for India and China to present a united front, stating that together they could bring new hope to the Global South. Wang positioned this partnership as a stabilising force for developing nations during a period of global upheaval, particularly the intensifying US-Iran conflict.

In a post on X, Wang Yi also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi held a productive meeting in Tianjin last August. “Building on the fresh start enabled by the Kazan meeting in 2024, the Tianjin Summit brought about further improvements in China- India relations,” Yi added .

RE-ENERGISED INTERACTIONS AT ALL LEVELS

Wang Yi stated that both Nations are eagerly implementing the understanding reached by the leaders, highlighting the renewed interactions at all levels between the two countries, which have led to a new record in bilateral trade and closer people-to-people exchanges and said that all these efforts have made tangible benefits to both the countries and its people.

As both countries being neighbours and members of the global south, China and India enjoy profound civilizational ties and share extensive common interests. Mutual trust and cooperation are beneficial to the development of both the countries, while division and confrontation are detrimental to the rejuvenation of Asia,” Yi noted in the post.

The two countries should follow the directions of the leaders, remove interference and advance towards the same goals. First, we must maintain the correct strategic perception of each other as partners, not as rivals, and as an opportunity instead of a threat. Second, we must uphold good neighbourliness and friendship and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the border areas. Third, we must focus on development which is the biggest common denominator of our two countries, and produce more visible outcomes of practical cooperation. Fourth, we must step up and support each other’s BRICS Presidency over the next two years, so as to make BRICS Cooperation more substantive and bring new hope to the Global South, “ Yi further added.

ON PRESENT CONFLICT IN IRAN

Wang Yi strongly condemned the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, describing the escalation as something that should never have happened. He called for an immediate end to hostilities and a swift return to diplomatic negotiations, insisting that military power would never resolve the region’s deep-seated crisis.

The Chinese minister warned that reliance on force undermines the international order. “A strong fist does not mean strong reason,” he declared. “The world cannot return to the law of the jungle.”

Wang expressed firm opposition to any efforts to destabilise the Iranian government. He asserted there is no popular support for regime change in Iran, and such moves would only inflame regional tensions further.

This has widened the West Asia conflict, heightening risks for civilians and expatriates. Wang Yi’s call for India-China unity within BRICS underscores Beijing’s strategy to counter Western dominance amid these developments.

(With Inputs from Wang Yi on X)