The Crossbill News Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting on Sunday (August 31) in Tianjin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking a significant step in efforts to stabilise relations between the two Asian neighbours.
The talks, which lasted for about an hour, came during Modi’s first visit to China in seven years and the first bilateral visit by either leader to the other’s country since 2018.
Their last interaction took place in Kazan in October 2024, shortly after the formal conclusion of the prolonged India-China border standoff.
In his opening remarks, Modi recalled the discussions in Kazan, saying they had given “a positive direction” to bilateral ties. He underlined that the frontier had remained calm since the disengagement, creating “an atmosphere of peace and stability.”
The Prime Minister added that both sides’ Special Representatives had reached an understanding on managing the border and noted the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as well as the restarting of direct flights between India and China.
“The interests of 2.8 billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity. We are committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and sensitivity,” Modi said.
Xi, while refraining from specific reference to the border, cast the relationship in a wider global context. Describing their Kazan meeting as a “reset” in ties, he noted that both sides had made “new progress in exchanges and cooperation” since then, building on the consensus reached last year.
He observed that interactions at various levels had become more frequent, pointing to the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India.
“The world today is swept by once-in-a-century transformations. The international situation is both fluid and chaotic,” Xi said, emphasising the challenges posed by ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as turbulence in the global economy.
Trade disputes, particularly US tariff hikes, have further strained international relations, with India and Brazil now facing a 50% rate and China negotiating a reduction from its earlier peak.
Positioning the two countries as central players in the Global South, Xi described China and India as “two ancient civilisations in the East” and “the world’s two most populous countries.”
He stressed their shared responsibilities: “The two countries should shoulder the historical responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and promoting the progress of human society.”
“It is the right choice for both of us to be friends, to have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Xi said.
The meeting in Tianjin signals renewed attempts by both governments to build stability in a relationship that has been tested by years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control, while also positioning themselves in the shifting global order.
The talks, which lasted for about an hour, came during Modi’s first visit to China in seven years and the first bilateral visit by either leader to the other’s country since 2018.
Their last interaction took place in Kazan in October 2024, shortly after the formal conclusion of the prolonged India-China border standoff.
In his opening remarks, Modi recalled the discussions in Kazan, saying they had given “a positive direction” to bilateral ties. He underlined that the frontier had remained calm since the disengagement, creating “an atmosphere of peace and stability.”
The Prime Minister added that both sides’ Special Representatives had reached an understanding on managing the border and noted the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as well as the restarting of direct flights between India and China.
“The interests of 2.8 billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity. We are committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and sensitivity,” Modi said.
Xi, while refraining from specific reference to the border, cast the relationship in a wider global context. Describing their Kazan meeting as a “reset” in ties, he noted that both sides had made “new progress in exchanges and cooperation” since then, building on the consensus reached last year.
He observed that interactions at various levels had become more frequent, pointing to the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India.
“The world today is swept by once-in-a-century transformations. The international situation is both fluid and chaotic,” Xi said, emphasising the challenges posed by ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as turbulence in the global economy.
Trade disputes, particularly US tariff hikes, have further strained international relations, with India and Brazil now facing a 50% rate and China negotiating a reduction from its earlier peak.
Positioning the two countries as central players in the Global South, Xi described China and India as “two ancient civilisations in the East” and “the world’s two most populous countries.”
He stressed their shared responsibilities: “The two countries should shoulder the historical responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and promoting the progress of human society.”
“It is the right choice for both of us to be friends, to have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Xi said.
The meeting in Tianjin signals renewed attempts by both governments to build stability in a relationship that has been tested by years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control, while also positioning themselves in the shifting global order.
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