The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. This was Xi's first visit to India in seven years, and according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders emphasized strengthening trade and cultural cooperation.
Strategic Agreements and Their Implications
The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, stated that this meeting addressed long-term strategic issues and that Modi and Xi reached the "most important agreement" to become partners, not rivals. Beijing hopes this meeting will advance bilateral relations in a way that prevents stagnation and regression.
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These positive statements come at a time when India-China relations had severely deteriorated due to a deadly border clash in 2020. However, the improvement in relations between the two countries has been ongoing for nearly two years, and Xi's visit to India symbolizes the end of the crisis, not the beginning of it.
Challenges Facing India-China Relations
However, the extent of improvement in India-China relations should not be overstated. The history of relations between these two countries shows that whenever peace and cooperation seem to be established, new tensions at the borders disrupt it again. India and China, as two large countries with a long history of cultural and political rivalries, still have disputes over approximately 15,000 square miles of shared territory.
Additionally, China, as a close ally of Pakistan, India's main rival, poses further challenges for the relationship between the two countries. Last year, the Pakistani army used Chinese weapons for the first time in air operations against India.
Despite these challenges, there are many reasons for cooperation between India and China. Both countries want to reduce tensions at their borders and create space for deeper trade cooperation. At the same time, both countries are looking to reduce diplomatic issues within the BRICS group, which both are keen to see succeed.
However, deep differences and sources of distrust between the two countries hinder the establishment of a comprehensive agreement. While a long period of cooperation may be possible, it seems that only time will tell if stagnation and regression, which Beijing seeks to avoid, will arise again.
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