Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled for a bilateral meeting on August 31 in Tianjin, China, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. This will mark the first in-person encounter between the two leaders in nearly a year, following a period of strained relations.
The summit is being viewed as a crucial step toward restoring normalcy after tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which escalated following a fatal border clash in 2020. Their last summit in October of the previous year had seen India and China agree on initial de-escalation measures, paving the way for dialogue.
Diplomatic groundwork has recently set the stage for this high-level engagement. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited China last month and met with President Xi to convey greetings from PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. Jaishankar also briefed Xi on the latest developments in India-China relations, highlighting progress and ongoing initiatives.
Signs of improving ties are evident in recent agreements to resume direct flights and ease visa restrictions for tourists, business travelers, and media personnel. These steps are considered signals of renewed trust and collaboration between the two major economies.
In July, China described the boundary dispute with India as complex but expressed willingness to negotiate demarcation, ensuring stability and tranquility along the border. This followed a meeting between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun at the SCO conclave.
During a June 26 meeting in Qingdao, Minister Singh proposed a “structured roadmap” to resolve complex issues, including de-escalation along the LAC and clear boundary demarcation. He stressed the importance of tangible action to address the persistent trust deficit since the 2020 border clash, also briefing China on India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor.
Responding to Singh’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning reiterated the ongoing “Special Representatives mechanism” for border issues and highlighted multiple channels for diplomatic and military communication. Mao confirmed China’s readiness to continue negotiations, maintain peaceful border areas, and promote cross-border cooperation.
The upcoming meeting is expected to build on the 23rd round of SR-level talks last December, which reinforced disengagement understandings and set the stage for future dialogue in China.
