China’s ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, said at the 14th China-India Youth Dialogue that the rapid progress of both countries results from their own “hard work and wisdom,” together with international cooperation—not from the generosity of other states. His remarks were widely read as a rebuttal to recent comments by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who called past US economic support for China a “mistake” that Washington would not repeat with India.
Xu did not name the United States but criticized those he said seek to disrupt Sino-Indian harmony. He accused some actors of exaggerating differences, stoking the so-called “China threat,” and trying to profit from discord between Beijing and New Delhi. He urged both countries to pursue development through their own efforts while expanding mutually beneficial ties and supporting each other’s success, calling for a cooperative “Dragon-Elephant Tango.”
Pointing to recent high-level meetings, the ambassador said relations have moved beyond a “reset” toward a new phase of steady improvement, with positive momentum across exchanges and cooperation in many areas. He stressed the need for strategic leadership from national leaders and for stronger mutual understanding and people-to-people affinity.
Xu also encouraged young people to form independent judgments and avoid getting trapped in information cocoons amid complex global events. He argued that, as the world’s two largest developing countries and major emerging economies, China and India bear responsibilities that extend beyond their bilateral relationship and carry global strategic significance.
Highlighting wider challenges, Xu warned against rising unilateralism, protectionism, hegemonism and power politics, which he said weaken the international order. He called on China and India, as influential voices of the Global South, to strengthen communication and coordination, protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and lead the Global South toward deeper development. He urged both nations to promote an “Eastern wisdom” of peaceful coexistence and mutual learning to prevent a return to a world governed by the law of the jungle.
