PM Modi’s first trip to China in seven years has been marked by a rousing red-carpet welcome in Tianjin, signalling a thaw in ties. With talks lined up with both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the visit is being closely watched as New Delhi looks to balance big-power relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a remarkable red-carpet welcome on Saturday (August 30) as he arrived in China’s Tianjin, for a two-day official visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. This is Modi’s first visit to China in over seven years, and it comes at a time of heightened global attention on India-China ties, amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Upon his arrival at Binhai International Airport, Modi was greeted with a cultural performance by Chinese artists and welcomed warmly by senior Chinese and Indian officials, underlining the importance Beijing attaches to this visit.
Talks with Xi Jinping hold special importance
While Modi is in China primarily for the SCO Summit on August 31–September 1, all eyes are on his scheduled bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 31 (Sunday). The discussions are expected to focus on bilateral trade, economic cooperation, and steps to strengthen ties strained by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes.
The meeting assumes greater weight given the recent downturn in India-US ties, sparked by Washington’s tariff policies that have disrupted global trade flows.
Resetting India-China relations
In recent months, India and China have stepped up measures to rebuild ties.
Key developments include-
- Completion of disengagement from remaining friction points along the Ladakh border in October last year.
- Agreement to reopen border trade routes such as Lipulekh (Uttarakhand), Shipki La (Himachal Pradesh), and Nathu La (Sikkim).
- Plans to resume direct flight services between India and China at the earliest.
- Moves to ease visa facilitation for tourism, business, media, and official exchanges.
The initiatives follow Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India earlier this month, where he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. Both sides committed to a “stable, cooperative, and forward-looking” relationship.
India’s message: Stability through cooperation
Ahead of his China trip, PM Modi stressed in an interview with Japan’s The Yomiuri Shimbun that India and China, as two major economies, must work together to stabilise the global economic order. He called for bilateral relations to be “stable, predictable, and amicable,” noting that such ties would benefit not just both nations, but also regional and global peace.
SCO Summit: A key geopolitical platform
Modi’s visit also comes against the backdrop of the SCO Summit, a grouping of 10 member states including China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian nations. India, which became a full member in 2017, has previously chaired the SCO Council of Heads of Government (2020) and the Council of Heads of State (2022–23).
During this summit, PM Modi will also hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, besides President Xi. The summit is especially significant for India, which has faced US-imposed tariffs, including restrictions on its imports of Russian crude oil.