The Chinese Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, held a meeting with his counterparts from Russia and India to discuss strengthening bilateral ties. During the meeting, Qin reassured both nations that their coordination and cooperation would only continue to strengthen. The meeting was held in India with other foreign ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which consists of nations across Eurasia. The purpose of the meeting was for China to maintain stable relationships with countries in the region, given the current tense relationship with the West, particularly the United States.

The deepening of bilateral ties between China, Russia, and India, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's commitment to unity, come at a time when China is seeking to maintain stable relations with countries in the region amid tense ties with the West, particularly the United States. The US has been urging China to help resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine, but China has so far refused to denounce Russia's military moves as an invasion.

However, last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed China's willingness to work with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.

The strengthening of communication and coordination among SCO member states, as well as the commitment to unity, demonstrates the bloc's commitment to preserving stable relations in the region.

 Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a separate meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar where he expressed China's willingness to deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues with India, and bring their bilateral ties back to a "healthy" track of development.

This comes after their relationship worsened in 2020 due to a clash between their troops on a disputed Himalayan border, which resulted in 24 fatalities. Qin also assured India and Russia of deepening bilateral ties and strengthening communication and coordination with other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member-states. The SCO, a bloc of nations spanning most of Eurasia, includes Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries, and is expected to induct Iran and Belarus in a summit in New Delhi in July.

Qin Gang updated Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the current state of affairs at the border, confirming that it is "generally stable." Qin also stressed the importance of learning from the past, viewing their bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, and treating each other with respect to achieve mutual success.