Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks in Tianjin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This meeting marked the Indian leader’s first visit to China in seven years and symbolised a noticeable warming in bilateral relations.
As Bloomberg notes, Modi’s visit was made possible by a ‘rare diplomatic breakthrough.’ Several weeks ago, New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to work together on demarcating disputed areas of their shared border.
The talks resulted in a statement by the Indian prime minister on the resumption of direct air links between the countries, which had been suspended several years ago. Xi Jinping, in turn, stressed that China and India should be partners rather than rivals: ‘The dragon and the elephant can dance together,’ said the Chinese president.
The rapprochement between Beijing and New Delhi is taking place against the backdrop of worsening Indian-American relations. A few days ago, US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of additional 25% tariffs against India, explaining this by the country’s continued purchases of Russian oil. It is noteworthy that Washington has not taken similar measures against China, which also imports Russian fuel.
The situation was worsened by an article published in The New York Times on 30 August. According to the publication, tensions between Trump and Modi may have been caused by the Indian prime minister’s refusal to support the initiative to nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize. The newspaper claims that in June, Trump hinted that India should take this measure in gratitude for his role in resolving the conflict with Pakistan. However, Modi stated that the ceasefire was achieved without Washington’s involvement.
