Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed on Sunday that New Delhi remained committed to improving relations with Beijing, during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The two leaders stressed the need to expand trade and investment amid increasing pressure from the United States.
This meeting comes five days after the introduction of heavy US tariffs, set at 50% on certain Indian products, in response to New Delhi's massive purchases of Russian oil. Analysts say Modi and Xi are seeking to demonstrate unity in the face of Western pressure, while strengthening the role of the "Global South" in global balances.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Modi stressed that Indo-Chinese relations should be viewed in terms of "strategic autonomy" and not be assessed "through the prism of a third country." Discussions focused on reducing India's trade deficit with China and strengthening bilateral investment.
The Indian prime minister also said that recent progress on the disputed Himalayan border, which has been marked by violent clashes in recent years, had helped create an atmosphere of "peace and stability" conducive to cooperation.
This is Modi's first trip to China in seven years. In addition to his meeting with Xi Jinping , he is participating in a summit that also includes Russian President Vladimir Putin and several leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, in what is being presented as a demonstration of solidarity from the Global South.
