Congratulating Xi Jinping for successfully organising the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India is committed to improving ties with China, as he met the Chinese President in Tianjin. During his meeting with Xi, PM Modi also said that the bilateral flights would soon start between the two nations.
This is PM Modi's second meeting with President Xi Jinping in the last 10 months. The two previously met during the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan in 2024. The meeting was supposed to be held for 40 minutes, but lasted for 55 minutes.
"We had a meaningful discussion in Kazan last year. There was peace and stability on the borders during the disengagement process. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has also resumed," said PM Modi. "With cooperation between our nations, the interests of 2.8 billion people are associated - this is needed for humanity."
"We are determined to take our relationship forward based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity. We extend our best wishes for the successful hosting of the SCO Summit, and I thank you for the invitation for this visit and this meeting," he added. PM Modi's first China visit in 7 years
PM Modi arrived in China's Tianjin on Saturday after concluding his two-day visit to Japan. This is the Prime Minister's first visit to China in seven years. He had previously visited China before the infamous Galwan Valley clash in 2020, which vastly deteriorated the ties between the two countries. However, ahead of coming to China, PM Modi, in an interview with Japan's The Yomiuri Shimbun, said India and China need to work together to bring stability to the world economic order.
Why PM Modi's visit to China is crucial?
PM Modi's visit to China is crucial because it comes at a time when the US has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India for procuring Russian crude. It has also alleged that India's move has fueled the Ukraine war, charges that India has continuously denied. While India has vowed to protect its national interest, China has come out in open support of India and has hit out at the US over its recent trade policies under President Donald Trump.
