PM Modi to Xi Jinping: India-China ties to advance on mutual trust, respect, border peace

Modi and Xi meet in Tianjin before SCO summit, discuss border peace, flights, and Kailash Yatra resumption
Modi says relations gained positive direction since Kazan, stresses mutual trust, respect, sensitivity as guiding principles
Troop disengagement created border stability, but 50,000–60,000 soldiers still deployed along eastern Ladakh Line of Actual Control

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Sunday, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This is Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. The meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was attended by senior officials from both sides, including India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and China’s Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi.

Modi said that the disengagement of troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last year has created an atmosphere of “peace and stability.” He stated that both countries are committed to taking ties forward based on “mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity.” He recalled their last meeting in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, describing it as a “productive conversation” that gave relations a positive direction.

The Prime Minister noted that agreements have been reached between the Special Representatives of both sides on border management. He also confirmed that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has resumed and that direct flights between India and China are being restarted. Modi said that cooperation between the two countries affects the well-being of 2.8 billion people and contributes to the welfare of humanity.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders in ten months, following their Kazan talks where troop disengagement at key friction points in eastern Ladakh was agreed upon. The Tianjin meeting also comes after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Delhi on August 19 to hand over Xi’s invitation to attend the SCO summit. Both countries continue to discuss the issue of de-escalation in eastern Ladakh, where an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 troops remain stationed on either side.

Apart from the meeting with Xi, Modi is expected to hold discussions with other leaders on the margins of the SCO summit, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit will run from August 31 to September 1 and is expected to focus on regional security, counter-terrorism, and strengthening trade cooperation among member states.

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