After a seven-year gap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China to a warm welcome, marking a significant diplomatic moment. Today, PM Modi is holding a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, just ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This high-level dialogue comes in the wake of U.S. President Trump’s aggressive tariff policy, which has disrupted global trade flows. The Modi-Xi meeting is seen as a crucial opportunity to reset strained India-China relations, especially after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Both leaders are expected to discuss economic cooperation, trade challenges, and strategies to ease border tensions. The choice of Tianjin—a major trade hub with global significance—also symbolizes the push for de-escalation and renewed engagement. This is PM Modi’s first visit to China since Galwan, and the first major bilateral interaction with Xi since signs of thaw emerged at the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan. With Russia also present at the SCO summit, the trilateral presence of India, China, and Russia is being viewed as a strategic signal to counterbalance Western influence and tariff-led disruptions. As 75 years of diplomatic ties are marked, this meeting could lay the foundation for a new roadmap for developing economies.
