Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India on Aug 18-19 signalled a thawing of relations between the two nuclear-powered Asian giants. India and China are looking to reset ties amid the global chaos ignited by US President Donald Trump.
As a result of the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ dialogue, Delhi and Beijing agreed on the resumption of direct flights and border trade. Importantly, India and China will look to resolve their border issues on the basis of “a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework” according to an MEA statement. This after the icy freeze that set in 2020 post the deadly clashes at Galwan along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China. Wang believes the best course for the two nations is finding consensus on “deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, upholding multilateralism, jointly addressing global challenges, and opposing unilateral bullying”.
He didn’t say it but that last bit does seem like a veiled jab at Trump. With the US President upending decades of diplomatic goodwill, following the 50% tariffs imposed on Indian imports to the US, India is looking to cut its heavy reliance on the US to safeguard her interests - and China knows it.
Asia, and indeed the world, are looking to India and China to set an example in this new geopolitical reality under Trump 2.0. Subsequently, both sides have agreed to support each other in hosting diplomatic events.
For instance, Beijing will support India’s BRICS presidency in 2026, and Delhi will return the gesture by backing China in hosting the 2027 Summit.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit later this month and reaffirmed full support of China’s SCO Presidency. This will mark PM Modi’s first visit to China in 7 years and is being hailed as an important step towards a greater role in SCO, a regional security bloc.
Despite the signs of a thaw, both nations will be cautious of each other. After all, China is a known close ally of Pakistan and supplied them with weapons in their cross-border conflict with India earlier in May.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who met Wang on Monday, decried all forms of terrorism while recalling that one of the original objectives of the SCO was to counter the “evil of terrorism”. Furthermore, he underlined India’s concerns with Beijing’s plans to build what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet as it could affect the flows in the Brahmaputra river.
