China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will reportedly arrive in India on Monday for high-level border discussions with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, authoritative sources confirmed on Wednesday. The visit comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders’ summit.
According to sources cited by news agency PTI, Wang Yi’s trip is primarily aimed at holding the next round of the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question. Both Wang and Doval serve as designated SRs for these talks. The NSA had visited China in December last year for similar discussions, held weeks after Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to revive dialogue mechanisms during a meeting in Kazan, Russia.
Wang Yi is also expected to meet separately with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his visit.
PM Modi’s China Trip to Follow Japan Visit
Prime Minister Modi is likely to visit China later this month to attend the SCO summit, hosted in Tianjin on 31 August and 1 September. His trip will follow a scheduled visit to Japan around 29 August.
The planned visit comes amid efforts to mend ties between New Delhi and Beijing, which deteriorated sharply after the deadly clashes in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. The standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and disengagement from the final two friction points — Demchok and Depsang — was completed under an agreement finalised on 21 October last year.
Following the disengagement, Modi and Xi met in Kazan on 23 October 2024, just two days after finalising the pact for Demchok and Depsang. The two nations subsequently agreed to resume several suspended exchanges, including the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and India restarted issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals. Talks are also under way to restore direct flight services.
In recent months, both Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar have travelled to China for SCO-related meetings, with Beijing currently holding the chairmanship of the organisation.
India-China Direct Flight To Resume Signs Of Thaw In Ties: Report
According to Bloomberg, direct flights between India and China could resume as early as next month, with an announcement likely when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits China for the first time in seven years to meet President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin from 31 August.
Direct flights between India and China have been grounded since the Covid-19 pandemic, which overlapped with a severe downturn in relations after a clash in the Himalayas killed 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops.
Bloomberg noted that Beijing has recently eased restrictions on urea shipments to India, the world’s largest fertiliser importer, after previously keeping curbs in place despite lifting the ban for other countries in June. Although initial volumes are modest, the move could help address global shortages and bring down prices.
Henry Wang, president of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalisation, told Bloomberg that relations between the two Asian giants are currently in an “up cycle” and stressed, “As leaders of the Global South, they have to really speak to each other.” He added that the tariff dispute with Washington has pushed India to maintain “some kind of strategic autonomy and strategic independence.”
Trump’s Tariff Shock As India-US Relations Sour
US President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50% this month — citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil — has altered Modi’s economic approach. The US president also referred to India’s economy as “dead” and its tariff barriers “obnoxious,” straining ties further.
The setback was particularly striking given Modi’s earlier warm words for Trump and his prompt visit to Washington after Trump’s return to the White House.
According to Bloomberg, the White House tone shifted after Modi denied Trump’s claims that his mediation had helped defuse tensions with Pakistan. The prime minister had challenged those remarks directly during a June phone call with Trump.
PM Modi’s Wider BRICS Outreach, Strategic Moves
PM Modi has also strengthened contacts with other BRICS members, inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to India later this year and holding talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in early August. Discussions with Lula included expanding India’s trade deal with Mercosur, the South American customs bloc that includes Brazil.
In the clean energy sector, Bloomberg reported that the Adani Group is exploring a partnership with Chinese electric vehicle major BYD Co. to manufacture batteries in India. Meanwhile, New Delhi has eased tourist visa rules for Chinese nationals after years of restrictions, with China remaining India’s second-largest trading partner after the US.
Despite these steps, deep-rooted mistrust remains. The tensions were reignited recently when China allegedly supplied weapons and intelligence to Pakistan during its military dispute with India.
However, in a notable instance, China’s ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, publicly backed Modi over the tariff issue last week, posting on X: “Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile,” alongside a quote from Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemning tariffs “as a weapon to suppress other countries.”