India committed to improving ties

31/8/2025 17:25

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with China in a key meeting with President Xi Jinping on Sunday, as both leaders discussed the need to expand trade and investment ties against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs.



Modi is in China for the first time in seven years to attend a two-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders from Central, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East, in a show of Global South solidarity.



The bilateral meeting took place five days after Washington imposed punishing 50% tariffs on Indian goods due to New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. Analysts say Xi and Modi are looking to present a united front against Western pressure.



Modi said India and China pursued strategic autonomy, and their ties should not be seen through the lens of a third country, according to an Indian foreign ministry readout of the meeting.



Modi and Xi discussed the need to proceed from a "political and strategic direction" to expand bilateral trade and investment ties, and reduce India's trade deficit with China.