Overview

• Presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu exchanged anniversary messages calling for stable, predictable ties between the two countries.
• Following Wang Yi’s August 18–20 visit to New Delhi, both sides moved to expedite visas, discuss resuming direct flights and explore limited border trade.
• Border frictions remain unresolved despite multiple commander-level rounds, with disengagement still pending at Depsang and Demchok after the deadly 2020 Galwan clash.
• Bilateral trade reached about $136 billion in 2023 with an Indian deficit near $100 billion, prompting Indian tariffs and app bans as China challenged some measures at the WTO.
• Reporting links the warmer tone to U.S. tariffs on Indian exports under President Trump, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to attend the Aug. 31–Sept. 1 SCO summit in Tianjin for planned talks with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.