Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Tianjin for the first time since Donald Trump returned to office. The leaders discussed efforts to improve relations as both countries face economic challenges linked to the ongoing U.S. trade war.
During their meeting, Modi announced that direct flights between China and India would resume. He also noted that relations had stabilized over the past year after troops from both sides withdrew from disputed border areas. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, a security group co-founded by China.
Xi emphasized that border issues should not define the relationship between China and India. “As long as the two countries remain partners rather than rivals, and see each other as development opportunities rather than threats, China-India relations will flourish and move forward steadily,” Xi said, according to Xinhua news agency.
Modi’s visit is his first trip to China in seven years. It comes at a time when both nations are facing high tariffs imposed by Washington. Last week, the United States raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent in response to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil—a move Washington argues supports Russia’s actions in Ukraine. New Delhi has defended its ties with Russia and called Trump’s measures “unfair,” warning they could hurt Indian exporters who sent $87 billion worth of goods to the U.S. last year.
During Sunday’s bilateral talks, Xi made four proposals for strengthening ties, according to India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri: enhancing strategic communication and mutual trust; expanding cooperation for mutual benefit; accommodating each other’s concerns; and increasing multilateral cooperation to protect shared interests. These points were also highlighted by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The international situation is both fluid and chaotic,” Xi said during the meeting, according to a video released by Press Trust of India. He added it was right for China and India “to be friends who have good neighborly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together.”
The summit in Tianjin is notable for bringing together political leaders from Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and others at one table—the largest such gathering yet for this bloc—as Xi seeks partnerships that offer an alternative to U.S.-led alliances.
This meeting follows a diplomatic breakthrough earlier in August when Beijing and New Delhi agreed to explore marking their disputed border—an area where soldiers clashed in June 2020 in one of their worst confrontations in decades.
Modi also held talks with Cai Qi, a close aide of Xi Jinping and member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee.
