Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Tianjin on Sunday, underscoring the need for the two nations to act as partners rather than rivals. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and marked Modi’s first visit to China since 2018.
Xi emphasized that China and India should maintain peace along their shared border, prevent disputes from defining the overall relationship, and focus on cooperation in development. He described the right path as becoming “good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed,” highlighting that the dragon and the elephant should “dance together.”
Modi echoed the sentiment, calling the talks “fruitful” and noting that India and China’s shared consensus far outweighs disagreements. He stressed that cooperation benefits 2.8 billion people and contributes to global welfare, adding that both countries are committed to strengthening ties through mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity.
Both leaders reaffirmed their nations’ pursuit of strategic autonomy and independent foreign policy, rejecting outside influence on bilateral relations. They also expressed readiness to resolve the boundary issue fairly and to resume direct flights, suspended since 2020. Xi and Modi agreed that closer collaboration would reinforce multilateralism and contribute to making the 21st century a genuine Asian century.
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