• Source:JND
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping began a crucial bilateral meeting in Tianjin on Sunday, marking their first encounter in nearly ten months. PM Modi’s visit to China, first in over seven years comes against the backdrop of strained India-US trade ties and a shifting global economic order. The meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit has attracted attention as both nations indicate a readiness to rebalance relations.

The two leaders met in the port city of Tianjin in northern China just ahead of the official beginning of the two-day SCO summit. Prime Minister Modi, who reached Tianjin on Saturday evening, is at the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif, Nepal's KP Sharma Oli, and some other leaders of Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. The top-level discussions between Modi and Xi are at a time when India is realigning its foreign policy in the wake of tariff frictions with Washington. The sources informed ANI that the emphasis on the talks will be on "long-term stability" of bilateral ties, with both nations trying to find a balance between cooperation and being sensitive to the strategic concerns of each other.

What PM Modi Told Xi Jinping In Tianjin?

During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi stressed that the “interests of 2.8 billion people of India and China are linked” and their cooperation will “pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity.” He reaffirmed that India is committed to strengthening ties on the basis of “mutual respect, trust and sensitivity.” Modi noted that the disengagement process along the border has created “an atmosphere of peace and stability,” adding that agreements between Special Representatives on border management have played a crucial role. He also welcomed the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the restarting of direct flights between the two nations, calling them confidence-building measures that will boost people-to-people ties. The meeting, which comes just days after Washington imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, was seen by analysts as both symbolic and strategic, with Modi and Xi presenting a united front against Western economic pressure while cautiously recalibrating their own bilateral relationship.

Historical Context of India-China Ties

India was the initial non-socialist nation to acknowledge the People's Republic of China in 1950 and institute diplomatic relations on April 1 that year. But the 1962 border war shadowed relationships for a long time. The turning point began with the visit by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, leading to slow normalisation. Subsequent milestones include the 2003 visit by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the launch of the Special Representatives mechanism on the boundary question, the 2005 Strategic and Cooperative Partnership, and the 2014-2015 exchange of visits by Xi and Modi. Informal summits in Wuhan (2018) and Chennai (2019) underscored the effort to keep dialogue channels open despite disagreements.

Relations took a sharp turn after the April-May 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff. There were several rounds of diplomatic and military talks since then to avert further escalation. Nevertheless, trade relations were strong, with China removing restrictions in 2025 on the export of fertilisers, rare earth minerals and tunnel boring machines to India. In August 2025, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi was the one that many analysts called a "breakthrough". The discussions opened the doors for increased cooperation in infrastructure, clean energy, and people-to-people exchanges, such as the revival of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Government sources reiterated that peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will continue to be a prerequisite for deeper cooperation. "There is a realization that peace along the border is the foundation on which our bilateral relationship is growing," said a government source to ANI.

SCO Summit: Strategic Outreach Beyond China

The economic aspect is also the key. PM Modi-Xi Talks are likely to touch upon the re-establishment of direct flight links, increasing bilateral trade, and cooperation in less sensitive areas. Modi has emphasized the necessity for India and China, being two of the world's biggest economies, to "work together to bring stability to the world economy amid current volatility," sources further added. Besides a meeting with Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Modi will also have bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to his return to New Delhi on Monday. The two presidents would discuss the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts, as well as global economic stability in the light of the Trump-era tariff disruption.

This year's SCO Summit, chaired by China, is convening leaders of 20 countries under the SCO Plus format. An official reception by President Xi Jinping on Sunday night will be followed by the session of leaders on Monday. Chinese officials have labelled the meeting as the "largest-ever SCO Summit" and an important demonstration of Global South solidarity. As the SCO Summit unfolds, PM Modi’s engagement with Xi represents more than just a routine bilateral. It is a high-stakes effort to restore predictability in ties and manage differences while exploring opportunities for cooperation in trade, connectivity and cultural exchanges.

With inputs from agencies.