Tianjin/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Tianjin on Sunday (August 31, 2025) on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, their first meeting in ten months. Both leaders welcomed steady progress in their ties since their last meeting at the BRICS summit in Russia and agreed that India and China are partners, not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes.
A major outcome of the meeting was the decision to resume direct passenger flights between the two countries, which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. No specific date was given for the restart. Modi also raised the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which was allowed earlier this year, and the issuance of tourist visas to Chinese citizens, which India resumed last month.
Both leaders said relations should be viewed independently and not through the lens of other countries. Modi noted the importance of pursuing strategic autonomy, while Xi stressed that the border issue should not define overall relations. They agreed that peace and tranquillity along the border are the foundation for ties. Xi described India and China as “friends and good neighbours,” and said the two countries should approach their relations from a long-term and strategic perspective.
The two sides also discussed trade. India raised its large trade deficit with China, an issue also brought up during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s earlier visit to Delhi. Both agreed that reducing the deficit would help build trust. China assured India of support in meeting its needs for rare earth minerals, fertilisers, and tunnel boring machines. The leaders also agreed to reopen border trade, which could help diversify exchanges at a time of tariff uncertainty caused by U.S. policies.
Modi and Xi further spoke about global issues such as terrorism and fair trade in multilateral forums. Modi raised the issue of terrorism and sought China’s support, to which Xi expressed commitment. Both countries also underlined the need to cooperate for a multipolar Asia and said that common interests outweigh differences.
During the talks, Xi put forward four suggestions to strengthen cooperation, which Modi welcomed. The two leaders agreed on the importance of growth and development, people-to-people ties, and finding a mutually acceptable boundary solution. Modi invited Xi to attend the BRICS summit in India in 2026.
India-China relations had deteriorated after the Galwan clashes in 2020, but the two countries have taken steps since last year to rebuild trust. Their meeting in Kazan, Russia, had set the stage for further reconciliation, and Sunday’s talks in Tianjin marked another step forward.
The diplomatic outreach comes as India’s relations with the United States face strain due to Washington’s tariff measures. Greater engagement between India and China could open opportunities in sectors like electric vehicles and give Chinese companies wider access to Indian markets, while also boosting India’s access to Chinese technology and resources.
Apart from his meeting with Xi, Prime Minister Modi also held informal conversations with several other leaders at the SCO Summit. These included Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Armenian Prime Minister, Turkmenistan President, Lao President, Vietnamese Prime Minister, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Several of these meetings were brief and cordial, with Modi engaging in casual conversations, handshakes, and even sharing laughs with some leaders.
The External Affairs Ministry said that India and China’s agreement to focus on cooperation and stability would benefit 2.8 billion people across both nations. It added that Sunday’s discussions in Tianjin highlighted the need for peace along the border and for both sides to allow each other to grow, in line with the broader idea of an “Asian Century.”