Chinese President Xi Jinping departed New Delhi on Sunday (September 13) at the end of the two-day BRICS Summit, also capping off his first visit to India in over seven years.The final New Delhi declaration signed by the member countries did not result in any unexpected outcome, largely sticking to the grouping’s common concerns on issues like “unilateral protectionist measures” (likely referring to US tariffs).But the fact that a common consensus was reached among members is also being read as an achievement of sorts. Iran, for instance, has targeted US military bases in the UAE amid the war that began in February. Both their leaders met on the sidelines of the summit.China will next host the BRICS summit and hold the rotating presidency from 2027. With the Chinese State and the Communist Party heavily regulating its media landscape, commentary on Chinese websites can provide a sense of the messaging China seeks to convey and its priority areas. Here is what major media outlets said.China DailyChina Daily is an English newspaper. Its coverage largely included routine news reports of Xi’s visit and the summit. One editorial spoke of 2026 marking the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation in glowing terms: “Over the past two decades, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has become the world’s most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.”Making thinly veiled criticism of the US, it said, “With the countercurrents of unilateralism and power politics surging, multilateralism and the international order are coming under strain.” BRICS countries should thus be inspired to “steer the international order toward greater justice and equity,” it added.The article also described China taking over the presidency as happening at a time when BRICS’ third “golden decade” begins.Story continues below this adGlobal TimesGlobal Times, a tabloid newspaper, is considered to have a more aggressive tone than many other Chinese papers and is seen as aimed more towards a foreign audience.Its reports covered a wide range of topics, from India-China ties to a separate story on the summit’s effect on bilateral trade ties. An editorial presented China as the star of the show: “China has always been a key force making BRICS more substantial, more significant, and more influential, and is a well-deserved ‘anchor of BRICS cooperation’ in both name and reality.”It credited Xi for “pioneeringly” putting forward a series of important proposals, including the “BRICS Plus” cooperation model for increasing BRICS countries’ outreach to other nations.Story continues below this adAnother article spoke of the meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that this was “the third consecutive year that the Chinese and Indian leaders have met, following Kazan meeting in 2024 and Tianjin meeting in 2025, underscoring the steady stabilization of bilateral ties.”Last week's tracker | China This Week | From SCO to upcoming BRICS summit in Delhi, diplomacy in focus for BeijingIt quoted a Chinese expert as stating that “If Kazan marked a turning point and Tianjin helped put relations back on a stable track, the New Delhi meeting can be seen as a new phase of confidence-building, focused on turning strategic consensus into concrete mechanisms and results.”The report on business ties struck a positive tone: “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.”Story continues below this adIt spoke of the trade imbalance as well — a concern that the Indian Foreign Ministry also noted in its statement. “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,” it said.CGTNChina Global Television Network, or CGTN, is available in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide through its TV and social media channels.Its website also shared expert commentary aligned with BRICS talking points put forward by China. “BRICS members differ in development stage and comparative advantage, which creates favorable conditions for building a more resilient regional production network. Tariff and non-tariff barriers should be further reduced… Greater use of local currencies and cross-border payment cooperation can also lower transaction costs,” one opinion article said.Story continues below this adAlso in Explained | BRICS summit: What trajectory of China-India ties means for the groupingAnother article similarly built up India-China ties, while noting challenges. “Strategic mistrust will not disappear after a few successful meetings. Differences over the boundary, trade imbalances, investment and regional security will continue. Domestic political pressures can also complicate the relationship…”“The answer is not to pretend differences do not exist, but to manage them responsibly. That requires more strategic communication, institutionalized dialogue and fewer worst-case assumptions. Both sides should respect each other’s development paths and resist allowing third-party factors to dictate their bilateral relationship,” it added, likely referring to US-India ties.“The world does not need China and India to agree on everything. It needs them to learn how to disagree without confrontation and cooperate without demanding uniformity. That may be the most important lesson of the New Delhi meeting,” the report said.UpshotIn the last few years, amid concerted efforts by the governments of India and China to improve ties since the low of the 2020 Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff, Chinese media have reflected the State’s line. This has often resulted in coverage that speaks of positive potential and familiar refrains like ‘the dragon and the elephant dancing’.Story continues below this adBut for all these prospects, long-term differences in the ties are also similarly highlighted in times of disagreement. This was seen during the 2025 Operation Sindoor conflict, where Chinese media sites published reports that at times only reported the Pakistani view.And for all the reporting now, parts of the commentary can still reflect longstanding biases. For instance, the fact that India-US relations were referenced speaks to an age-old concern: China still views its relations with India through the lens of the United States. Experts have traced its roots to Cold War-era politics, when India’s stance as a non-aligned nation made it seem unusual, and even untrustworthy, in the eyes of the leadership of the Communist State.Ultimately, given the absence of independent media within China, such commentary can offer a window into how the Chinese State perceives the bilateral relationship, covering both its possibilities and revealing what the hurdles to achieving them might be.