Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on Sunday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, as both countries seek to repair their strained relationship.
This was the first formal bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi since their encounter in Kazan, Russia, during the BRICS Summit in October, and Modi’s first official trip to China since 2018. Relations between Beijing and New Delhi had been tense since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash along the disputed Sino-Indian border, which resulted in casualties on both sides and triggered a prolonged military standoff. The incident led to restrictions on Chinese investments in India, suspension of direct flights, and curtailment of certain trade activities.
However, the imposition of 50% tariffs on India by U.S. President Donald Trump has shifted the dynamics, prompting New Delhi to pursue a gradual rapprochement with Beijing. Recent progress includes a border patrol agreement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), restoring conditions close to the pre-2020 status quo, and China reinstating pilgrimage rights for Indian citizens to visit holy sites in Tibet.
Direct flights between the two countries are also expected to resume soon following an agreement in principle. China has openly voiced its support for India in opposing U.S. tariffs, while Beijing itself has been engaged in a trade conflict with Washington earlier this year.
The thawing relations between India and China highlight the unintended consequences of Washington’s tariff-based policy. Rather than isolating New Delhi, the move appears to have accelerated India’s willingness to strengthen ties with Beijing and, potentially, to deepen its participation within the BRICS framework. Reports in U.S. media suggest that members of the Trump administration were surprised by this outcome, having anticipated the tariffs would pressure India into aligning more closely with Washington’s strategic interests.