Modi XI highly anticipated meeting on (Sunday 31 of Aug 2025), held on the sidelines of a regional summit in the eastern port city of Tianjin, came as both nations grappled with stiff U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump’s global trade war and mounting Western scrutiny over their ties with Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. In this regard, the two leaders confirmed their commitment to cooperation in an effort to rebalance the course of bilateral relations.
The two nations met bilaterally five days after Washington placed punishing 50% tariffs on Indian goods due to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Analysts claim that Modi Xi wants to demonstrate solidarity in the face of Western pressure.
Modi said that India was “committed” to advancing their countries’ relations “on the basis of mutual trust and respect.” He also mentioned their improving ties, which include an improvement in tensions across their disputed Himalayan border, where the two fought a deadly skirmish in 2020.
As the two leaders sat face-to-face with their officials at their sides, Modi Xi begins , “Once-in-a-century transformations are sweeping the world today.” He went on to say, “The global situation is both unstable and chaotic.”
The SCO meeting and the related diplomatic activity were clouded by the war in Ukraine. Even as Western governments increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies to end the invasion, which has lasted more than three and a half years, Putin joined the summit after arriving in Tianjin earlier Sunday.
India has reiterated its stance of strategic neutrality, maintaining that it does not formally take sides in the conflict. Modi noted that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, where they exchanged views on the ongoing war and its global ramifications, including energy security and food supply chains.
After agreeing on an international border patrol, the two leaders Modi Xi met in Russia last year, which sparked a tentative thaw in relations that has accelerated in recent weeks as New Delhi looks to protect itself from Washington’s renewed threats of tariffs.
Earlier this month, former U.S. President Donald Trump imposed significant economic penalties on India, first subjecting Indian imports to 25% tariffs and then adding an additional 25% duty in response to New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil and gas flows Washington argues indirectly help finance Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
The measures drew sharp criticism from Indian officials, who warned they could disrupt supply chains and strain a trading relationship already worth more than $120 billion annually. Both India and China remain among the largest buyers of Russian crude, but analysts note that Washington has so far refrained from imposing similar tariff-based penalties on Beijing, underscoring the complexity and selectivity of U.S. trade policy in the context of great-power competition.
Changing Strategically in a Disjointed World Order
This encounter signaled a deliberate shift in the diplomatic posture of both New Delhi and Beijing. By emphasizing friendship and stability, Modi Xi positioned their countries as responsible stakeholders in an international system increasingly defined by geopolitical rivalry and economic fragmentation. The rhetoric of “improving relations” carried weight, as it contrasted with earlier exchanges dominated by military standoffs along the Himalayan frontier. The discussion instead foregrounded cooperation across domains such as trade, infrastructure development, and cultural diplomacy.
In a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry that obtained, Xi sought to draw attention to parallels between his remarks to Modi Xi on Sunday, calling the two countries at “critical stages of development and rejuvenation” and advising them to “focus on growth as their greatest shared denominator, and to promote each other.”
Since Modi Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last October and announced an agreement on phased military disengagement along disputed stretches of their border, India-China relations have been gradually normalizing. Measures to boost confidence quickened in the months that followed, with both nations agreeing to resume direct passenger flights that had been halted since the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the first time in five years, Beijing approved the reopening of two pilgrimage routes in western Tibet to Indian tourists, and both governments started granting tourist visas to their respective nationals. In what analysts see as small but significant signs of de-escalation, officials have also talked about reopening consular channels and growing student exchange programs that had been inactive during the height of tensions.
Beyond security issues Modi Xi Meet’s, economic engagement emerged as a key theme. China continues to rank among India’s largest trading partners, although trade asymmetries remain a source of concern in New Delhi. The leaders expressed interest in expanding bilateral investment, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy, and advanced technologies. Modi’s “Make in India” initiative, with its emphasis on self-reliance, could benefit from carefully managed Chinese capital and expertise, while Beijing views India as a promising consumer market and a partner in regional growth.
Their joint commitment to “shared growth” highlights the potential to align economic objectives in ways that reduce friction and foster interdependence. Principal tensions between China and India escalated after a brutal battle along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian as well as four Chinese soldiers in hand-to-hand warfare.
While many have viewed the (Modi Xi) meeting in Tianjin as a diplomatic thaw, experts warn that results, not statements, will ultimately be used to gauge progress. This rapprochement’s sustainability hinges on sustained high-level communication, steps to foster confidence, and the effective conversion of financial commitments into tangible alliances.
Still, the decision by two major powers to emphasize friendship in a period marked by global conflicts and trade wars conveys an important symbolic message. If the commitments articulated in Tianjin yield tangible results, the rapprochement could reshape the contours of India China relations After Modi Xi Meeting and reinforce Asia’s influence in the evolving global order.