India and China rapprochement, but too early to tango

As India builds economic and strategic muscle and empowers her citizens, a new equation is emerging in the relations between India and China. It is time to build trust, not through words but actions.

- SANJAY BHATTACHARYYA

After two successful informal summits between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan (2018) and Chennai (2019), during which they developed an understanding on taking bilateral relations forward, relations plunged in 2020 and it has not been possible to have further bilateral visits.

This unusual turn in bilateral relations was on account of the breach of trust due to China's aggressive actions along the India-China boundary. Even amidst trust deficit, strategic communication is necessary between neighbours, and the two leaders met in the margins of the BRICS summit in Kazan (2024) and again in the margins of the SCO summit in Tianjin (2025). The process for rapprochement has begun.

Building on the Wuhan Spirit of not allowing differences to become disputes, the Chennai Connect had outlined three principal objectives. First, they agreed on a High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue to strengthen trade and investment ties and build a manufacturing partnership; second, they agreed to continue efforts to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement on the outstanding boundary question and on "efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas, both sides would continue to work on additional CBMs"; and third, that the year 2020 would be a year of celebration to commemorate the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations. The understandings reflected a buoyant perception on economic ties while it was cautious on the boundary question, even hinting that more work was needed on additional CBMs to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.