India's Modi to meet China's top diplomat as Asian powers rebuild ties
[August 19, 2025] By
SHEIKH SAALIQ and RAJESH ROY
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with
China’s top diplomat on Tuesday in a sign of easing tensions between the
nuclear-armed neighbors after a yearslong standoff between the Asian
powers.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is
scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders about the disputed
border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the
border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected
to be on the agenda.
The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and
Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on
India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's
influence in Asia. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the
U.S., along with Australia and Japan.
‘Compromise at the highest political level’
India and China's decades-old border dispute worsened in 2020 after a
deadly clash between their troops in the Ladakh region. The chill in
relations affected trade, diplomacy and air travel as both sides
deployed tens of thousands of security forces in border areas.
Some progress has been made since then.
Last year, India and China agreed to a pact on border patrols and
withdrew additional forces along some border areas. Both countries
continue to fortify their border by building roads and rail networks.
In recent months, the countries have increased official visits and
discussed easing some trade restrictions, movement of citizens and visas
for businesspeople. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to
visit holy sites in Tibet. Both sides are working to restore direct
flights.
Last week, the spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal,
said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three
points along their 3,488-kilometer (2,167-mile) border.
Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New
Delhi-based think tank, said relations are still at an uneasy level of
normalization.
“Settling the boundary issue between the two countries requires
political compromise at the highest political level,” said Joshi, who
also served as a member of the advisory board for India’s National
Security Council. He asserted that the countries are "still talking past
each other when it comes to the border dispute and issues surrounding
it."
Ahead of his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's National Security
Adviser Ajit Doval and discussed the way forward to bolster the
relationship.
“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, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing
is willing to take Wang’s India visit as an opportunity to work with the
Indian side to “properly handle differences and promote the sustained,
sound and stable development of China-India relations.”
Mao said Wang’s meeting with Modi's national security adviser will
“continue in-depth communication to jointly safeguard peace and
tranquility in the border areas.”
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This combination of file photos show, on left, Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi briefing the media in Berlin, Germany, on July 3,
2025 and on right,Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waving to
journalists in Buenos Aires, Argentina,on July 5, 2025. (AP
Photos/Markus Schreiber and Rodrigo Abd, File)
 Modi plans to visit China soon
The thaw between Beijing and New Delhi began last October when Modi
and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit of emerging
economies in Russia. It was the first time the leaders had spoken in
person since 2019.
Modi is set to meet Xi when he travels to China late this month —
his first visit in seven years — to attend the summit of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping formed by
China, Russia and others to counter U.S. influence in Asia.
Earlier this year, Xi called for India and China’s relations to take
the form of a “dragon-elephant tango” — a dance between the
emblematic animals of the countries.
Last month, India's external affairs minister visited Beijing in his
first trip to China since 2020.
The US and Pakistan play roles in the thaw
The renewed engagement comes as New Delhi’s ties with Trump are
fraying. Washington has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, which
includes a penalty of 25% for purchasing Russian crude oil. The
tariffs take effect Aug. 27.
India has shown no sign of backing down, instead signing more
agreements with Russia to deepen economic cooperation.
Trump’s renewed engagement with India’s arch rival, Pakistan, has
also encouraged New Delhi’s overtures to China, said Lt. Gen. D.S.
Hooda, who led the Indian military’s Northern Command from 2014 to
2016.
In June, Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief for a White House lunch
and later announced an energy deal with Islamabad to jointly develop
the country’s oil reserves. Both followed Trump’s claims of
brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the two sides
traded military strikes in May.
That clash saw Pakistan use Chinese-made military jets and missiles
against India.
“China is heavily invested in Pakistan and, practically speaking,
you can’t have any expectation that Beijing will hold back support
to Islamabad," Hooda said. “But you can’t have two hostile neighbors
on your borders and simultaneously deal with them also.”
___
Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, and video
producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
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