In a significant diplomatic development, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi of Beijing’s full support to India in its fight against terrorism. The shift comes despite China’s earlier military and strategic backing to Pakistan, including the supply of fighter jets and arms. Analysts view this as a setback for Islamabad, especially as Beijing recalibrates its stance amid changing global equations.
Modi, who is in Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, held his first bilateral meeting with Xi in nearly ten months. The two leaders discussed border stability, cross-border terrorism, and the need to ensure that disputes do not escalate into conflicts. Both agreed on finding a resolution to boundary issues and on strengthening cooperation to stabilize global trade, particularly in light of recent U.S. tariffs on Indian goods.
The visit, Modi’s first to China in seven years and his first since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, has drawn special attention from Chinese media, which described it as a turning point in bilateral relations. Xi hosted Modi with special gestures, including the use of his preferred ‘Hongqi’ car, and underscored that the “Chinese Dragon and Indian Elephant must dance together.” Modi is also set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, with discussions likely to focus on energy trade amid U.S. sanctions on Russian oil.