At such a time, the eyes of the world were on Modi’s China visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China after seven years has indicated a new warmth in India-China relations. The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping during the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin made it clear that the two countries now want to move their relations forward in the direction of partnership and cooperation instead of confrontation. The message from this visit also came that a trilateral alliance of India, China and Russia is being formed against the US. India-China relations have been tense for the last five years, but in recent times, the two countries have been talking to resolve their issues. Cooperation with China is important for India amid the US’s unilateral tariff policies and increasing pressure on free trade. After the US tariff policies, India has realized how important it is to maintain its strategic autonomy. India got caught in the US tariff pressure due to the US’s failure to stop oil purchases from Russia. It is being said that India wants to increase its bargaining power with the US by improving relations with China. Modi has been trying to balance the policy of leaning towards the US since last year, while India is a part of both the Quad and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and is not fully aligned with any one group.
India and the US are old friends. Along with this, the world also knows India’s friendship with Russia. India’s relations with China have often been tense but these relations have also been sweetened at times. Now, with the 50 percent tariff imposed on India by the US, India is having to increase further trade cooperation with China and Russia. India and China established diplomatic relations on April 1, 1950. But the border conflict of 1962 gave a setback to these relations. Then in 1988, the visit of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China began to revive relations. Subsequently, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit in 2003 led to the formation of the Special Representative System and then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India in 2005 promoted the strategic and cooperative partnership. President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in 2014 laid the foundation for a close developing partnership, while Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China in 2015 maintained the momentum. The two countries enhanced mutual trust through informal summits in Wuhan in 2018 and Chennai in 2019. However, tensions along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh in 2020 affected relations. The meeting of Modi and Jinping during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in 2024 further improved the bilateral relations between the two countries. Now, Modi’s visit to China has raised hopes of further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Due to the 50 percent tariff imposed on India by the US President, India is having to look more towards Russia and China. Of the two countries, Russia is an old friend of India, but there has always been suspicion in the minds of Indians towards China. Some of China’s policies are similar to those of America and China also wants its hegemony over the whole world like America. Therefore, India needs to be vigilant while strengthening the bond of friendship with China. Although now there is no opportunity to say ‘Hindi Chinese Bhai Bhai’, but if India and China can become good trade partners, then both countries can become a new challenge to the world. If China is a great superpower, then India is also a country with a big economy and India is like an open market for the commercial companies of the developed countries of the world. At present, many international companies are doing their business in India, including American companies.
Modi’s visit to China can give a new direction to the relations of the two countries and both countries can emerge as a great power together in front of the world. India should see China as a partner instead of an adversary or a threat. This is in the best interest of both countries. What did India gain and what did it lose from Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China? This will be known in the coming time.
