Tianjin: Beijing has described the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a fresh milestone in relations, declaring that the “Kazan meeting marked the restart” of China-India ties. The hour-long discussion on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin was framed by China as a step towards a long-term strategic partnership.
In its official statement, China said India and China “shoulder the important responsibility of benefiting their peoples, promoting unity among developing countries, and advancing the progress of human society.” Stressing the idea of complementarity rather than rivalry, Beijing said the “dancing of the Dragon and the Elephant” should be the natural path for the two Asian powers.
Xi underscored that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, urging both countries to view relations with a “strategic and long-term perspective” to ensure stable and healthy development. He emphasized that cooperation, not confrontation, is the way forward: “If India and China commit to being partners instead of rivals, providing opportunities rather than threats, then ties will flourish.”
Prime Minister Modi echoed the sentiment, recalling last year’s Kazan meeting during the BRICS summit in Russia, which he said gave “positive direction” to India-China relations. Modi highlighted the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and restoration of direct flights as indicators of thawing ties, noting that cooperation between the two nations directly touches the lives of nearly 2.8 billion people.
On the sensitive border question, Xi reaffirmed that the two countries should not let disputes define the entire relationship. Instead, he called for strengthening peace and tranquillity along the frontier. Recalling the 1954 Panchsheel agreement, the Chinese President urged both sides to cherish the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which include mutual respect for sovereignty and non-aggression.
Modi, in turn, stressed that disengagement efforts since the Galwan clashes of 2020 had created an “atmosphere of peace and stability,” which can serve as a foundation for stronger ties.
Both leaders also positioned India and China as vital pillars of the Global South, with Beijing stressing that their cooperation is essential to the “revitalization of developing countries.” Xi said that as both nations are at a critical stage of modernization, they should focus on development as the “greatest common denominator,” ensuring mutual benefit and win-win results.
The Tianjin summit, therefore, appears to have opened a fresh chapter in relations between the two Asian giants one that seeks to balance past tensions with a renewed emphasis on long-term cooperation.