Civilizational Foundations of BRICS Cooperation
By Sachin Budhauliya
SATV, Kathmandu, Sept. 11 - When examining the relationship between China and India, some analysts tend to focus on friction in contemporary geopolitics. At multilateral platforms like BRICS, however, meetings between their leaders are closely watched for signs of progress.
Viewing these two neighbours strictly through the lens of 20th-century geopolitical theory misses the larger picture. Long before modern nation-states or trade blocs emerged, China and India stood as enduring civilizational pillars. Over centuries, they contributed richly to human philosophy, science, and ethics.
This longer history suggests that both nations can rise above periodic diplomatic difficulties by looking past temporary differences and drawing strength from their shared cultural heritage and global contributions. As India chairs the BRICS in 2026, this perspective is especially timely. The future of China-India relations will continue to require careful management of differences, but it can also benefit from a stronger emphasis on dialogue, mutual understanding, and common ground.
A Long History of Intellectual Exchange
The development of human civilization was greatly enriched by innovations and ideas that originated from the Indian subcontinent and the Chinese heartland. Exchange along the ancient Silk Road and maritime trade routes was never merely about commerce — it served as a conduit for transformative ideas.
India gave the world foundational concepts of “Ahimsa” (non-violence), deep metaphysical enquiry through the Upanishads, and the compassionate frameworks of Buddhism. Chinese philosophies that have gone global include Confucian ethics, emphasizing social duty, filial piety, and governance through moral example, alongside the natural harmony of Daoism.
Indian scholars formulated the concept of zero and the decimal system, which revolutionized global mathematics, and medical practitioners developed the holistic medical science of Ayurveda. China introduced transformative technological breakthroughs — papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass — alongside advancing sophisticated astronomy and acupuncture.
The eighth-century astronomer Gautama Siddha, also known as Qutan Xida in China, was of Indian descent yet born in Chang’an, the thriving capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He played a pivotal role in compiling The Great Tang Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era. Several long and arduous journeys undertaken by Chinese scholar-monks, including Faxian’s pilgrimage and Xuanzang’s years of study at Nalanda, proved equally crucial to the exchange of knowledge and culture between the two civilizations.
Common Values of Humanity
The modern world is confronted with geopolitical fragmentation, economic instability, and climate crises. Against this backdrop, the core values embedded in Indian and Chinese classical traditions present a constructive alternative to competitive, zero-sum worldviews.
India’s ancient ethos of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (“The world is one family”) resonates strongly with the traditional Chinese concept of tianxia datong (“universal harmony under heaven”). Both philosophies reject the premise that international relations must involve a clash of civilizations. Instead, they view the global community as an interconnected whole, in which national growth and global well-being are mutually reinforcing.
Long before modern climate agreements, both traditions viewed human life as intrinsically connected to the natural world. The Indian reverence for nature and the Chinese principle of harmony between heaven and humanity offer enduring ethical foundations for global environmental stewardship today.
For centuries, cultural currents between China and India flowed primarily through scholars, monks, merchants, and intellectual exchange. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, officially initiated in the 1950s, underscore mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
Cultural Understanding through BRICS
In today’s international system, the BRICS framework offers a vital institutional platform for New Delhi and Beijing to translate these historical values into practical cooperation.
Within BRICS, the two nations have worked together to give emerging economies a stronger voice in global decision-making. The success of the New Development Bank demonstrates that China and India can, through cooperation, take the lead in establishing multilateral financial institutions in the future to finance essential infrastructure across the Global South.
Yet institutional cooperation has shown its limits. Diplomatic summits and disengagement protocols are critical for managing short-term border tensions, but they merely treat symptoms, not the deeper trust deficit. Deep-rooted civilizational respect offers a more reliable foundation for recovery.
To build long-term stability, both countries need to inject more cultural diplomacy into their engagement. BRICS and regional summits should host cultural forums focused on shared history, classical literature, philosophy, and ancient arts. Expanding university partnerships, joint research, and translation projects involving Chinese and Indian scholars would help train future policymakers who understand each other’s cultural contexts. Student exchange programs between Chinese and Indian universities would further help cultivate a new generation of scholars and policymakers. Encouraging cultural tourism, media exchange, and youth initiatives would help ease rigid stereotypes and soften media-driven public hostility.
The BRICS framework offers China and India a practical platform for collaboration and coordination on global challenges, yet institutional mechanisms alone cannot substitute for genuine trust. By drawing on their shared civilizational heritage and common values of harmony, dialogue, and mutual respect, both countries can expand cooperation, deepen mutual understanding, and build a more stable and constructive relationship in a multipolar world.
The author is executive editor of Hindusthan Samachar, a leading multilingual news agency in India.
(The content is provided by Beijing-based China Pictorial Publications.)
