Tianjin: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, calling for a forward-looking partnership built on “mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.” The meeting, which comes after years of strained ties, marks Modi’s first visit to China in seven years and is being closely watched in both capitals against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical alignments.
Addressing President Xi at the outset of the meeting, Modi underlined that recent steps towards disengagement along the disputed border had created “an atmosphere of peace and stability” that now needs to be consolidated through sustained dialogue and cooperation. Referring to their last interaction in Kazan during the BRICS summit, Modi said that conversation gave “positive direction” to the bilateral relationship, and he expressed optimism that India and China could move beyond past frictions to focus on areas of common interest. He also stressed the importance of people-to-people exchanges, noting the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the possibility of restoring direct flights between the two nations.
Xi Jinping, for his part, reciprocated the sentiment by describing India and China as two of the world’s oldest civilizational states, with shared responsibility as leading members of the Global South. “It is important for us to be friends and good neighbours,” he remarked, invoking the imagery of the “Dragon and the Elephant” walking together. Xi stressed that as the world undergoes major transformation, cooperation between Beijing and New Delhi would have significance far beyond their borders, shaping the future of Asia and contributing to global stability.
The meeting takes place at a delicate moment in India’s foreign policy, with New Delhi navigating both opportunities and strains. Relations with Washington have cooled following President Donald Trump’s sharp tariffs on Indian goods and punitive duties linked to crude oil purchases from Russia, while ties with Beijing are emerging from the shadow of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. That deadly confrontation had frozen dialogue for years, but with the disengagement from the final friction points at Demchok and Depsang completed under the October 2024 agreement, both sides are now signaling readiness to turn the page.
Modi’s visit follows the recent trip of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi, where he met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to lay the groundwork for a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship. Analysts say Modi’s discussions in Tianjin could set the tone for the next phase of India-China engagement, with a focus on restoring confidence, expanding trade channels, and cooperating on regional security issues under the SCO framework.
The SCO summit itself has drawn 20 foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, making it the largest gathering of the Eurasian bloc since its establishment in 2001. With China hosting this year as the rotating chair, the platform has become a crucial stage for deliberations not just on regional connectivity and security but also on the broader balance of power in an era of global flux. For India and China, Modi’s meeting with Xi was less about symbolism and more about finding a way forward where two of the world’s most populous nations seek to align their interests without letting old fault lines resurface.