BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A sound China-India relationship is important to BRICS and developing countries at large, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

The comment came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the rise of India and China an "unprecedented opportunity" for the two countries and for the whole world at a geo-political conference on Tuesday.

"China applauds Modi's positive comments. Chinese and Indian leaders have a common understanding that our shared interests far outweigh our differences," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing.

As a member of the BRICS -- which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- China supported India when it hosted the BRICS summit in 2016. The 2017 summit will be held in Xiamen, Southeast China, in September.

The development of China-India relations is important to the strength of the BRICS and as a tool to promote world multipolarization, Hua said.

Responding to Modi's view that it was "not unnatural" for two large neighboring powers to have some differences, Hua said China is committed to increasing trust, expanding cooperation and properly resolving any differences with India.