India, China eye reset as PM Modi holds talks with Xi Jinping in Tianjin

The rebuilding of India-China ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India. The focus will be on the outcome of the talks between Modi and Xi Jinping today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last year. (Reuters/File)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for bilateral talks Sunday in the port city of Tianjin, as India and China look to reset strained ties amid Donald Trump’s tariff offensive that has soured Washington’s ties with both New Delhi and Beijing.

The 40-minute closed-door meeting comes on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. PM Modi is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, the first huddle between the two leaders since the US doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent over New Delhi’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil.

Seven years have passed since PM Modi last set foot in China. His last trip, to Wuhan in 2018, followed the tense Doklam standoff. This time, the focus is on economic and strategic alignment as the two Asian powers navigate the turbulence caused by the US President’s tariff barrage.

On Sunday, PM Modi and the Chinese President will hold two bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The next day, he will sit down for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For Modi, the spectacle of him standing alongside Xi and Putin at the summit will send a pointed message to Trump.

Especially since in recent weeks, Trump and his officials have intensified their attacks on India over its purchase of Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine. White House adviser Peter Navarro went as far as to claim that the Ukraine conflict was essentially “Modi’s war”.

INDIA, CHINA HIT RESET BUTTON

However, the focus will remain on the outcome of the talks between Modi and Xi.

Last October, PM Modi and Xi broke the ice with their meeting in Kazan, Russia, after avoiding each other for years, even at multilateral forums. The meeting came after India and China agreed to disengage in the remaining two friction points along the LAC.

The ties between the Asian giants reached its lowest ebb after the border skirmishes in Galwan in 2020.

Even as recently as May this year, India saw China as its adversary, with Chinese defence systems aiding Pakistan during the hostilities.

However, nothing unites like a common enemy. And Trump seems to have done exactly that, undoing decades of American diplomacy to prop up India as a counterbalance to China.

Underscoring the shift in relations, President Xi, earlier this year, called for Sino-Indian ties to take the form of “Dragon-Elephant tango” to serve their fundamental interests.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed the conciliatory tone during his visit to Delhi, urging the neighbours to see each other as “partners” rather than “adversaries or threats”.

During Wang Yi’s visit, the two sides agreed to resume direct flights and the issuance of visas to facilitate business and cultural exchanges. They also decided to re-open border trade through the designated trading points.

A key takeaway was the decision to revive the stalled dual-track strategy and not let border issues affect bilateral ties.

Even at the height of the diplomatic standoff, China remained India’s second-largest trading partner. Moreover, India still relies heavily on Chinese components and raw materials.

A steady India-China relationship, in the long term, could help soften the blow of US tariffs. With key Indian exports now facing 50% tariffs, access to Chinese markets, smoother cross-border trade and supply chain networks would help New Delhi reduce its dependence on the US market.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-china-visit-xi-jinping-bilateral-meeting-trump-tariffs-trade-sco-summit-2779266-2025-08-31