Xi, Modi Pledge To Rebuild Ties As US Trade War Adds Pressure
Modi announced the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, and said ties in the past year have stabilized after soldiers pulled back from the friction points on the border.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held their first meeting since Donald Trump returned to power, with the longstanding Asian rivals pledging deeper cooperation as they deal with the economic fallout from the US trade war.
Modi announced the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, and said ties in the past year have stabilized after soldiers pulled back from the friction points on the border. The two met at the port city of Tianjin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, a security-focused bloc co-founded by China.
Modi’s visit, his first to China in seven years, comes as both countries face steep tariffs from Washington and amid growing urgency to diversify global partnerships. Last week, the US followed through with its threat to impose tariffs of 50% on Indian goods, punishment for New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil that Washington says helps fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
New Delhi has defended its ties with Russia and labeled President Donald Trump’s actions as “unfair” — one that threatens to ravage Indian exporters, who shipped $87 billion worth of goods to the US last year.
During the meeting with Modi, Xi said both sides should approach the relationship from “strategic heights and a long-term perspective,” while calling for upholding multilateralism and bringing out “more democracy in international relations,” according to a video of the meeting circulated by the Press Trust of India.
“The international situation is both fluid and chaotic,” Xi said in the video. It is 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,” he said.
The Tianjin gathering is spotlighting Xi’s vision for global governance as he works to build partnerships that rival the US-led order. At the meeting, political leaders from Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran are expected at the same table for the first time in years. The event is the bloc’s largest ever.
Sunday’s meeting between Xi and Modi followed a rare diplomatic breakthrough in August, when New Delhi and Beijing agreed to explore demarcating their disputed border — a key step toward resolving decades-old territorial tensions, Bloomberg News reported. The move signaled a shift toward dialog after years of military standoffs and strained relations.
India and China share a 3,488 kilometer (2,167 miles) long unmarked disputed border where soldiers clashed in June 2020, the worst in decades and hurting ties.
