Inside Modi–Xi Meeting in Tianjin: India, China Signal Reset but Stress Border Peace, Strategic Autonomy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Tianjin on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, in what was Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. The bilateral carries weight amid global turbulence triggered by U.S. tariff escalations and India’s deepening partnership with Russia.
Both leaders described their meeting as a continuation of last year’s Kazan talks, which they said had put the relationship back on a “positive trajectory.”
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| Image Source: Namita Balyan |
Border peace front and center
The Indian readout emphasized that Modi underlined the importance of peace and tranquility along the border for the smooth development of bilateral ties. The leaders noted the disengagement process completed last year and welcomed “the maintenance of stability” since then.
They also acknowledged progress in recent talks between their Special Representatives and pledged continued support for that process.
China’s official release took a broader approach. Xi urged that the boundary issue should not be allowed to “define the overall relationship” and called for building on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
He listed four suggestions: strengthening strategic communication, expanding cooperation, accommodating each other’s concerns, and deepening multilateral coordination to safeguard shared interests.
The nuance is notable: while New Delhi’s account stressed mechanisms to prevent disturbances at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Beijing’s message sought to de-emphasize the border dispute as the central feature of ties.
Economic, people-to-people exchanges
Both sides confirmed the resumption of direct flights and the reopening of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. They also acknowledged the role of their economies in stabilizing global trade and committed to exploring ways to narrow India’s large trade deficit with China.
Modi said India and China “both pursue strategic autonomy,” adding that the bilateral relationship “should not be seen through the lens of a third country.” Xi, meanwhile, highlighted the responsibility of the “dragon and elephant” to join hands as two of the world’s oldest civilizations and most populous nations, arguing that their cooperation could define the 21st century as an “Asian Century.”
JUST IN: 🇷🇺🇨🇳🇮🇳 President Putin, PM Modi, and President Xi Jinping seen chatting laughing together at SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/QNK03ilhwv
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) September 1, 2025
Multipolar backdrop and BRICS
Modi invited Xi to the 2026 BRICS Summit in India, which Xi accepted in principle, according to the Indian release. Xi used the occasion to stress China and India’s responsibility to uphold multilateralism, promote a multipolar world, and push for “greater democracy in international relations.”
The timing of the meeting is critical. With Washington doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50% over energy trade with Moscow, India’s balancing act between China, Russia, and the West is under sharp scrutiny.
The Modi–Xi talks followed a string of engagements with other SCO leaders and came just ahead of Modi’s bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Analysts say the optics of Modi sitting down with Xi and Putin within 48 hours underscores New Delhi’s role in shaping what Russian officials have called a “qualitatively new system of international relations.”
While the U.S. pursues tariff diplomacy, the India–China meeting highlighted the Global South’s push toward multipolarity -- with peace on the border framed as the prerequisite for moving forward.