A much-anticipated meeting of the leaders of the world’s two most populous nations took place Sunday with China’s Xi Jinping welcoming India’s Narendra Modi on the sidelines of regional summit in Tianjin – as the neighbors explore a rapprochement accelerated by their shared frictions with the United States.
Xi and Modi met at the Tianjin Guest House in what is the Indian leader’s first visit to China in seven years. The two shook hands and posed for cameras before their sitdown, which comes as both nations face stiff US tariffs as well as western scrutiny over their relationships with Russia as the war in Ukraine rages.
Modi thanked Xi for his invitation to China, saying an “agreement has been reached” between special representatives from both countries regarding “border management,” referring to tensions at their disputed border that escalated after a deadly 2020 skirmish and cratered relations at the time.
“We are committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust and respect,” Modi said.