Photo: Indian Prime Minister’s Office
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin has already produced several surprises, and one of the most notable concerns the China–India dynamic. Observers note that Washington’s attempt to pressure New Delhi over its purchases of Russian oil has backfired. Instead of driving a wedge between the “Asian Dragon” and the “Asian Elephant,” U.S. actions have nudged these long-standing rivals toward rapprochement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current visit to China — his first in seven years — is itself a powerful signal of shifting geopolitical currents in Asia. According to Xinhua, on the eve of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi met and agreed that China and India should regard one another as partners, not adversaries.
Xi stressed that the two countries represent opportunities for each other’s development rather than threats. Both are central players in the Global South and bear a heavy responsibility: to improve the well-being of their peoples, to consolidate the strength of developing nations, and to contribute to the progress of human civilization as a whole. “China and India are the world’s two oldest civilizations and the two most populous nations. The world is entering a period of profound transformation, and it is vital that we remain good neighbors and allies. The Dragon and the Elephant must unite. Together, we must defend multilateralism, a multipolar world, and greater democracy in international institutions, and work for peace and prosperity in Asia and across the globe,” Xi was quoted as saying by MIR24.
Modi not only agreed with these sentiments but also announced that direct air travel between the two countries would soon resume — a symbolic and practical step toward normalizing relations.
Photo: Reuters
The backdrop to this thaw is Washington’s increasingly heavy-handed approach. U.S. President Donald Trump recently imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods to punish the country for buying Russian oil. These new duties — the steepest in Asia — took effect on August 27, doubling existing tariffs and covering more than 55 percent of Indian exports to the U.S. The blow will be felt most acutely in sectors like textiles and jewelry, though Bloomberg notes that critical exports such as electronics and pharmaceuticals have been spared — a concession that preserves Apple’s massive new investments in Indian manufacturing.
China, too, has been locked in an escalating tariff confrontation with Washington. In April, Trump announced a 34 percent hike on Chinese goods on top of an existing 20 percent levy. After Beijing retaliated, Trump doubled tariffs to 104 percent. China responded with an 84 percent duty. The U.S. then raised its rate to 145 percent, while Beijing countered with 125 percent. Both sides eventually declared a fragile “truce,” with Trump delaying further escalation until November 10.
Against this backdrop of economic confrontation, New Delhi and Beijing appear to be finding common ground. Modi’s remarks in Tianjin suggest that differences between the two powers may not be as irreconcilable as often portrayed. He stated that India is prepared to work with China to find fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solutions to their long-standing border disputes.
Recent developments support this new trajectory. In August, India hosted the 24th round of talks between the two countries’ special representatives on border issues. According to Xinhua, the two sides reached a ten-point consensus, agreeing to maintain diplomatic and military mechanisms for managing tensions along the disputed frontier. They also pledged to resume issuing tourist visas and restore direct flights.
This follows years of tension, particularly the deadly clashes of June 2020 in the Himalayas, where both sides suffered casualties in their most serious confrontation in decades. Those events inflicted heavy damage on bilateral relations. Yet since Trump’s return to the White House and the resumption of trade wars, Beijing and New Delhi have shown a greater willingness to set aside differences.
China has once again assumed the role of peacemaker. Bloomberg reported in August that as early as March, Xi Jinping sent a confidential message to Indian President Droupadi Murmu, probing the possibility of improved relations. The message, conveyed to Modi, was followed by a public statement in which Xi praised bilateral ties, famously describing them as a “dragon-and-elephant tango.”
Photo: China Daily
The Tianjin summit also highlights another key dimension: a planned trilateral meeting between Russia, India, and China to discuss Russian energy supplies to partner states. In essence, the gathering is expected to focus on countering Trump’s policies.
For Western analysts, the implications are significant. Beijing’s flexible diplomatic style often enables it to resolve even the most intractable disputes, and many expect China to find a way to safeguard the interests of both the Dragon and the Elephant — without provoking a direct clash with Washington.
The symbolism of this rapprochement should not be underestimated. At a moment when the U.S. is using tariffs and economic leverage as blunt instruments of foreign policy, Beijing and New Delhi are rediscovering the value of partnership. For Asia — and indeed for the wider world — this could mark the beginning of a new chapter in which two ancient civilizations and modern powerhouses choose cooperation over conflict.
By Tural Heybatov
News.Az