China and India pledge to be ‘partners not rivals’

Monday, 1 September 2025 06:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Indian PM Narendra Modi during their meeting yesterday in the port city of Tianjin

The leaders of China and India said yesterday there is now deepening trust between them after years of tension that includes a long-running border dispute.

China’s President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the port city of Tianjin. It is Modi’s first time in China in seven years.

Xi told Modi that China and India should be partners, not rivals, while Modi said there was now an “atmosphere of peace and stability” between them.

Russian President Putin is also at the summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders, but this year overshadowed by trade wars with the US.

US President Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, and Putin faces threats of sanctions for his ongoing war on Ukraine.

As the US-India relationship faces increasing headwinds, Modi is moving closer to Xi. Both countries are not only the most populous, but also have two of the biggest economies in the world.

Modi announced that flights between India and China – suspended since deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border in 2020 – would resume, without providing a timeline.

Xi said that “both sides need to approach and handle our relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective” and that “it is the right choice for both sides to be friends.”

The SCO summit itself is largely symbolic but will allow leaders to air common grievances and shared interests. It comes days before a massive military parade in Beijing that will mark 80 years since the end of World War II.

There are 10 member States in the grouping – including Russia, Pakistan, and Iran – and 16 dialogue partners and observers.

Putin, who is a close ally of China, arrived to a red carpet welcome in Tianjin yesterday. (BBC)