Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi Meet After Years, Pledge Closer Cooperation Amid US Trade Strains
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have held their first formal discussion since the return of Donald Trump to the White House. The two Asian powers, often seen as rivals, pledged to enhance cooperation as they confront the economic challenges created by Washington’s trade war.
During the meeting, held in Tianjin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Modi announced that direct flights between India and China will resume. He noted that relations between the two nations have improved over the past year, following mutual troop withdrawals from border flashpoints.
A symbolic moment came when Xi, Modi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin posed together ahead of the group photograph, signaling a united front within the SCO.
Xi’s Call for Friendship
Xi emphasized that border disputes should not define Sino-Indian ties. He told Modi that the “correct path” was for the countries to see each other as partners, not adversaries. “If India and China regard each other as opportunities rather than threats, India-china relationship will steadily grow,” China’s Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi as saying.
This visit was Modi’s first trip to China in seven years, arriving at a time when both nations are under pressure from Washington’s aggressive trade policies. Recently, the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports, citing New Delhi’s ongoing imports of Russian crude oil. India has pushed back, labeling the move “unfair” and warning that it could seriously impact Indian exporters, who sent goods worth $87 billion to the US last year.
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Navigating a ‘Chaotic World’
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the media, saying Xi presented four proposals for strengthening bilateral ties:
• Deepening strategic communication and trust
• Expanding cooperation for mutual benefit
• Respecting each other’s core concerns
• Enhancing multilateral collaboration to safeguard shared interests
China’s Foreign Ministry echoed these points in its own statement. Xi was quoted describing the international situation as “fluid and chaotic,” urging India and China to act as good neighbors, trusted partners, and engines of growth. He used the metaphor of the “dragon and the elephant dancing together” to highlight the potential of the relationship.
Why the Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi Meeting 2025 Matters for India-China Relations
The Tianjin summit offered Xi a platform to promote his alternative vision of global governance and cultivate partnerships beyond a US-led order, with leaders from Russia, Pakistan, and Iran present it was one of the largest meetings of the SCO so far.
The Xi-Modi meetings followed a significant breakthrough in August when the two sides agreed to look at border demarcation for the first time in decades – a significant step towards addressing the longstanding territorial conflict. The shared border is 3,488 kilometers (2,167 miles) long and has seen multiple clashes, including the deadly June 2020 clash that strained relations to the greatest extent.
Alongside Xi, Modi also met Cai Qi, a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee and one of Xi’s closest allies, signaling deeper engagement between the two governments.