India and China hail warming ties amid Trump-induced geopolitical shake-up
According to statements from China's foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to resume direct flights – reiterating a pledge made in January – as well as issuing visas to journalists and facilitating business and cultural exchanges.
On social media, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, noted 'respect for each other's interests and sensitiveness', while China's foreign ministry said the countries had entered a 'steady development track' and should 'trust and support' each other.
The visit by Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, to Delhi came ahead of an expected visit to Beijing by Modi to meet with China's leader, Xi Jinping, in October. It will be Modi's first trip to China since 2018.
Relations between the two nuclear powers plummeted in 2020 when a border dispute in the remote Himalayas turned deadly. Their soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat as the worst episode of violence between the neighbours in decades left an official death toll of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Since then, the two sides have held a series of talks to de-escalate the situation. Modi and Xi last October in Russia had their first meeting in five years. Both sides have continued to fortify borders, but have agreed to a pact on border patrols, and withdrawn additional forces.
India's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Wang and the Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval discussed 'de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs'.
Chinese state media phrased the discussion as agreeing to 'explore the possibility of advancing boundary demarcation negotiations'.
'The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders,' Wang said on Monday.
India said its foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar raised concerns about China's plans to build a giant dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibetan territory – set to be the world's biggest hydropower project – which Delhi fears will impact downstream communities and areas.
The thawing of relations between Delhi and Beijing comes as Donald Trump's unprecedented trade tariffs continue to shake up the global order.
Sana Hashmi, a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, said the US president's tariffs and the perception of a reduced US presence in Indo-Pacific partnerships had contributed to and accelerated efforts to stabilise the India-China relationship.
But there remained 'fundamental differences' between the two.
'Core security issues and the overall nature of India-China relations will not change because of Trump's policies, and the Indo-Pacific framework will continue to shape regional dynamics,' Hashmi told the Guardian.
'For now, India's priority lies in managing tensions with China while navigating turbulent waters with the US.'
After India, Wang will travel to Pakistan, a close ally of China but rival of India. China's foreign ministry said Beijing wanted to 'enhance friendly cooperation with both countries'.
With agencies and additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
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