Chinese President Xi Jinping told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the “right choice” is for their countries to be friends during their first meeting in China in seven years. This marks a new milestone in the nascent rapprochement between the world’s two most populous nations, accelerated by shared frictions with the United States.
The much-awaited meeting between Xi and Modi took place on the sidelines of a regional summit—Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the eastern port city of Tianjin on Sunday. Both countries are facing stiff US tariffs because of President Donald Trump’s global trade war, as well as Western scrutiny of their ties with Russia as the Ukraine war continues.
As the two leaders sat face-to-face with their officials, Xi began by telling Modi, “The world today is swept by once-in-a-century transformations. The international situation is both fluid and chaotic,” he added.
Referring to the traditional symbols of the two countries, Xi remarked, “It is the right choice for both sides to be friends who have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together.”
“As long as they adhere to the overall direction of being partners rather than rivals … China-India relations can maintain stability and move forward over the long run,” he added.
Modi mentioned their improving relations, which include a reduction in tensions at their disputed Himalayan border (Galwan Valley), where the two had a deadly clash in 2020. He added that India was “committed” to taking their countries’ relations forward “on the basis of mutual trust and respect.”
“The interests of 2.8 billion people in both our countries are tied to our cooperation,” Modi said.
In Washington, where tensions with New Delhi threaten to undo years of US diplomatic efforts to strengthen ties with the nation as a crucial counterweight to a rising and more assertive China, the positive signals will undoubtedly be closely watched. This is why the meeting is so crucial and timely for Xi.
Earlier this month, Trump imposed stiff tariffs on India, first imposing 25 percent tariffs on its imports into the US and then imposing an additional 25 percent duty on the nation for importing Russian gas and oil, which Washington believes is aiding President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war. Although China has not yet been the subject of such actions, both China and India are major buyers of Russian oil.
Modi said to have “exchanged views on the ongoing conflict” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their conversation on Saturday. India has stated in the past that it is neutral in the war.
“Everyone in the world has said that the fighting must be ceased,” Zelensky said in his daily address on Sunday, referring to Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, who were in China for the meeting. He added, “Almost everyone else in the world is in favour of ending the war.”
When Modi meets with Putin on Monday, as part of his broader diplomatic efforts when he attends a two-day SCO summit, a regional security organisation established by Beijing and Moscow, the topic of India’s oil purchases may come up.
In addition to China, Russia, and India, the group includes Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as partner and observer countries. Chinese officials ahead of the event said leaders from more than 20 countries from across Asia and Middle East would join the summit.
On Sunday evening, Xi received participating leaders for a welcome banquet, seemingly showcasing his cordial relationship with Putin. A different side of the usually reserved Chinese leader was seen in footage released by Russia’s state news agency RIA, which showed the two leaders smiling and gesturing while chatting during the event.
The dominance of China and Russia over the SCO may be challenged by India’s entry. India is unlikely to provide significant support for China’s claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea, or for Russia’s Ukraine war, despite their trade relations.
China and Russia have only given India a tepid response to its long-standing request for a permanent membership on the UN Security Council, presumably to maintain their influence with the West. However, if Washington’s international trade continues to convey uncertainty, New Delhi will not suffer much.
India did not sign a joint statement with the SCO in June because it believes that the statement’s exclusion of a deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, India on April 22 shows a pro-Pakistan bias. However, there hasn’t been much anticipation for India to sign.
It will be challenging for Xi and Modi to get past a long-standing lack of personal trust, according to observers, even as the two leaders seek to stabilise their relationship in terms of trade and security.
However, both presidents seemed eager to usher in a more amicable era on Sunday.
India and China decided in recent months to resume direct flights that had been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in five years, Beijing also consented to reopen two pilgrimage sites in western Tibet to Indians, and both countries began issuing tourist visas to each other’s nationals.
“Their differences should not turn into disputes” and that their “stable relationship and cooperation” were essential for the “growth and development of the two countries, as well for a multipolar world,” according to an Indian readout issued after the meeting.