India-China ties see renewed cooperation, trade reaches $92 billion: Consul General Qin Jie

Addressing fears around AI, he said more cooperation is needed among larger countries like India, China, the U.S., and other major economies to guide AI development in a more positive way

Published - September 29, 2026 08:10 pm IST

Chinese Consul General Qin Jie speaking in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The trade volume between India and China reached $92 billion in the first half of 2026, and India’s exports to China grew by 39% year-on-year from April to August, driven largely by value-added items such as electronics, mobile phone components and telecom equipment, said Qin Jie, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Mumbai, at the India-China BRICS Dialogue Seminar held in Bengaluru.

“Under the strategic guidance of our leaders, the bilateral institutional exchanges have gradually resumed, our cooperation list has continued to lengthen, and bilateral trade volume has hit a new high,” he said.

“In the past months, our ministers and officials handling foreign affairs, commerce, security, finance, environment, science and technology, and healthcare have met. Exchanges and cooperation between banks, sister cities, universities, sports bodies and media organisations have increased, and more direct flights are resuming,” the Consul General said, adding that Bengaluru and Chengdu are sister cities.

Noting that India-China cooperation benefits not only the two countries but the entire world, he said that, in the foreseeable future, China and India would remain major engines of global economic growth, with the combined GDP of the two countries set to rise further from the current 28.4% on a purchasing power parity basis.

Border discussions going on

Responding to questions on border issues between India and China, Mr. Qin said that while the issue is complex, discussions between the leaders of the two countries have been continuing.

“Over the years, there have been discussions on whether we should try to resolve all the problems together, or take the easier path first, which is called an ‘early harvest’, where we solve part of the problem, accumulate some positive results and build confidence. From China’s perspective, we should do both,” he said.

“Our representatives and militaries can sit down, keep the border peaceful, prevent the situation from escalating, and ensure that it does not affect broader cooperation between China and India,” he added.

Responding to observations that China has been denying visas to Indians, the Consul General said China issues visas to lakhs of Indians every year, while India approves only a few thousand visa applications from Chinese citizens.

“So the pressure on us is actually very, very big. Lots of people in China want to come to India to experience Buddhism and Bodhi sculptures. Many people are interested in India’s culture, food, movies, dance and yoga,” he said.

“It is a bilateral issue. I believe that following the BRICS summit, representatives and officials on both sides are talking extensively about enhancing cooperation and people-to-people exchanges,” he added.

Addressing concerns around artificial intelligence (AI), he said greater cooperation is needed among major countries such as India, China, the United States and other large economies to guide AI development in a positive direction.

“We need open dialogue. We need experts and officials to sit down and discuss what kind of guardrails we should have so that the technology benefits the world,” he said.

Describing the BRICS summit in Delhi as highly successful, Mr. Qin said India had effectively organised the event and coordinated among member countries. The summit is set to take place in Beijing next year.

“Next year, when China hosts the 19th BRICS Summit in Beijing, we hope China can play a bigger role as a bridge between BRICS nations and developed economies, pushing forward practical cooperation in AI governance and technology, while also removing barriers so that the benefits of global development can be shared more widely,” he said.

Published - September 29, 2026 08:10 pm IST

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