Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

As the 18th BRICS Summit will open from Saturday, some Indian media outlets have shown keen interest in the prospects of China-India cooperation under the BRICS framework, engaging in heated discussion over the potential economic engagements and collaborative opportunities the multilateral platform can unlock for both countries. This attention alone signals growing expectations within India for deeper bilateral trade and economic ties.

At a time when global industrial chains remain volatile and the multilateral trading system faces mounting headwinds, developing countries more than ever need a cooperation platform that can deliver practical solutions and drive shared growth. It is against this backdrop that the BRICS cooperation mechanism has drawn renewed expectations. As two core BRICS members, China and India have massive economies and different industrial structures, and their bilateral economic, trade and industrial cooperation forms an integral part of broader BRICS progress.

In recent years, a thaw in bilateral relations has brought positive steps in economic exchanges - from expedited business visa approvals for Chinese professionals visiting India to the resumption of direct flights. The upcoming 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi provides a further opportunity to translate this positive bilateral momentum into tangible multilateral results.

Indian government statistics provide solid evidence of this positive momentum. In the 2025-2026 fiscal year, bilateral trade reached $151.1 billion, with China regaining its position as India's largest trading partner. Despite the ups and downs in bilateral relations, this encouraging figure reflects the steady improvement in ties and the sustained robust growth of both economies, which together have laid a firm foundation for further expanding and upgrading bilateral trade.

This figure is the natural outcome of the long-standing industrial complementarity between the two countries. India's ongoing manufacturing expansion has generated steady demand for Chinese mechanical and electrical products, active pharmaceutical ingredients and industrial components. 

Meanwhile, India's agricultural products, mineral resources and characteristic consumer goods also have ample room to enter the Chinese market. The two-way movements of supply and demand have built a stable foundation for trade, proving that China-India economic and trade cooperation rests on a solid, realistic footing.

Deepening China-India economic and trade cooperation would benefit India's domestic manufacturing sector first and foremost. In recent years, India has been vigorously promoting its manufacturing self-reliance. A more stable supply chain for intermediate goods and lower-cost cross-border trade facilitation arrangements would bring not only higher trade figures but also more local jobs and greater industrial chain efficiency.

From this perspective, if India uses this BRICS Summit as an opportunity to take a solid step forward in advancing China-India economic and trade collaboration, it would be a highly pragmatic and entirely rational choice aligned with its own development needs. More importantly, such a move would itself constitute India's substantial contribution to BRICS cooperation.

Some may worry that deeper economic ties with China could worsen India's trade deficit or lead to excessive reliance on China in certain strategic sectors. While such worries are understandable, the right way to address them is not through erecting barriers - it is through dynamic structural adjustments as cooperation deepens. The problem of the trade deficit between China and India has emerged gradually through development, and it will ultimately find its resolution in more robust development. 

India could leverage negotiations within the BRICS framework to secure greater market access for its competitive goods and services in China, while setting reasonable transitional protection measures for strategically important industries. Cooperation is not about opening doors in one direction - it is about building smart, mutually beneficial interfaces. Both countries have sufficient economic heft and policy space to manage risks and ensure a broadly balanced outcome.

In today's complex and volatile global landscape, developing economies share a common ambition: to steer their own industrialization and modernization. The BRICS platform is a critical vehicle for that ambition. When China and India, the two major emerging market powers, move toward each other, manage differences, and deepen economic and trade ties through the BRICS mechanism, the gains will extend far beyond the two countries' enterprises and people. They will also reinforce BRICS' cohesion, empowering the group to keep delivering practical solutions to the development challenges facing the wider developing world.