China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that relations with India are “demonstrating a positive trend” as both countries seek to return to the “path of cooperation.” His remarks came during a bilateral meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, according to a readout released by Beijing.
Wang’s visit marks his first trip to India since 2022, following years of strained relations between the two Asian powers. Tensions worsened in 2019 and escalated further in May 2020 when border clashes in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir left 24 soldiers dead from both sides. Since then, dialogue has been slow, with recurring friction along the disputed frontier.
On Tuesday, Wang is scheduled to meet Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for the 24th round of boundary talks, a key channel for managing the long-standing border dispute. He is also expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.
During Monday’s meeting, Jaishankar expressed optimism, saying he was “confident that our discussions … would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.” He acknowledged that the two nations have gone through a “difficult period,” but stressed the need to move ahead and ensure differences do not escalate into disputes.
For his part, Wang urged both sides to treat each other as “partners rather than adversaries or threats,” emphasizing mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and “win-win cooperation.” He said that valuable resources should be invested in development and revitalization rather than confrontation.
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The timing of Wang’s visit is significant, coming as India faces rising pressure in its trade relations with the United States. The Trump administration’s second term has seen Washington impose steep 50% tariffs on Indian goods, accusing New Delhi of “unfair trade practices” and indirectly “funding Russia’s war machine” amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. India has rejected the tariffs, labeling them “unjust and unfair.”
Looking ahead, Modi is expected to travel to China at the end of August to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where further dialogue between the two leaders could set the tone for a cautious reset in bilateral ties.
At a moment of shifting global alliances, both Beijing and New Delhi appear to be testing whether their rocky relationship can give way to pragmatic cooperation.