The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.
India is a country that likes to swing from side to side. You never know which way it will swing tomorrow. Recently, China-India relations seem to be easing. First, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India, and then Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was looking forward to attending ChinaAs a result of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, before leaving, Modi still put us together.
On August 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced the list of leaders of countries participating in the SCO summit.Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said that the SCO summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31st to September 1st.
The scale of this summit is very large, and Chinese leaders will attend it together with leaders of more than 20 countries and heads of ten international organizations.
On the list, heavier figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Belarus Lukashenko, Prime Minister of India Modi, President of Iran Pezzaiyan, President of Turkey Erdogan and others have been determined to come to China.
Everyone is particularly concerned that Modi will come, because this is his first visit to China in seven years.
Before the summit, from August 18th to 20th, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went to India. As China's special representative on the Sino-Indian border issue, he talked with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar for more than three hours and talked about many important issues in bilateral relations.
Modi also met with Wang Yi at the Prime Minister's Office and spoke for about 40 minutes.Modi said at the time that India was not an opponent, but also let Wang Yi greet the Chinese leaders for him, saying he "was looking forward to going to China to participate in the summit."
The two sides also reached ten consensus points, including the establishment of a panel of experts to study the division of borders, the establishment of a general-level negotiation mechanism in border areas, and the reopening of three border trade markets.
But when Wang Yi left India not long ago, things changed.On August 21, an Indian Foreign Ministry official suddenly said that the previous statement by Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar Jaishankar that "Taiwan is part of China" was "misquoted."
The official also said that India will continue to strengthen economic and scientific and technological cooperation with Taiwan. This directly touches China's bottom line on the Taiwan issue.
On August 22, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Zedong responded to the press conference, saying: “India’s statement is inconsistent with the facts.”
At the same time, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced a test of a "Fire-5" ballistic missile in the state of Orissa. Officials from the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization also stressed that the missile can reach 5,000 kilometers and cover the entire territory of China.
India has many reasons to do so.A report from the Indian Ministry of Commerce found that the United States recently added tariffs of 50 percent on India, making the Indian economy a bit unhealthy.
This policy could reduce India’s export revenue by about $6 billion a year, so the Modi government needs to build a good relationship with China and find opportunities to work together to make money.
But on the other hand, some people in India are still wary of China, especially since the 2020 border conflict has not yet passed.
India will hold a general election next year, and the Modi government also needs to be tough to appease domestic sentiment.
Economically, China also has advantages. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of India in July 2025 shows that India is inseparable from China in many ways:
Rare earth exports are mainly dependent on China, with 87% of photovoltaic panels imported from China and 70% of generic drug raw materials also imported from China.
Moreover, China’s China-Pakistan economic corridor around India and China-Nihil Railways are also increasing China’s influence in South Asia, all of which have made India have to consider carefully when dealing with China’s relationship.
The Guardian said it was important to improve China-India relations when U.S. President Trump launched a tariff war.
The Wall Street Journal said that Trump's trade policy has instead brought China and India closer together, and everyone wants to expand trade cooperation and reduce the losses caused by tariffs.
The Associated Press said that Wang Yi's trip to India marked the "repair" of relations between the two countries after the 2020 border conflict and made it possible for Modi to visit China for the first time in seven years.
Faced with American pressure, the Indian government announced on August 18 that it would suspend cotton import tariffs until September 30.
Moreover, India has suspended plans to buy $3.6 billion in anti-submarine aircraft from Boeing. Everyone feels that this is India's response to the US tariff policy.
Trump’s former adviser, Peter Navarro, even said India was “too pro-Russian” and did not use U.S. high-end weapons.
In response, Wang Yi left India and immediately went to Pakistan and Afghanistan to hold a three-party meeting of foreign ministers. The foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Islamabad to connect the Chinese-Pakistan economic corridor with Afghan projects.
This shows that China continues to strengthen its relations with India's neighboring countries. Analysts say this is an important step in China's diplomatic layout in South Asia.
The Tianjin SCO summit will be Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, and he plans to talk to other leaders in addition to meeting with Chinese leaders.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, Modi may hold bilateral talks with the presidents of Iran and Kazakhstan.
However, India’s recent approach may make China more cautious about India’s commitments, after all, credibility is important in international relations.
India’s changing behavior will not only undermine the trust between China and India, but may also affect the attitude of other countries when dealing with India.
India's desire to strike a balance between China and the United States also reflects the current international situation. India has to maintain relations with the United States while also having to consider the economic interests of cooperating with China.
However, when it comes to important issues,Especially in China's ambiguous attitude on the territorial issue, it will add uncertainty to China-India relations.
This will not only affect China-India relations, but may also have a negative impact on regional stability and development.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is coming soon, and everyone will pay attention to Modi's performance in Tianjin and whether the leaders of China and India can bring new stability to bilateral relations after they meet.
The international community hopes that the two largest developing countries will overcome their differences and contribute together to peace and development in the region and in the world.
India’s attitude also reflects the contradictions of its foreign policy.On the one hand, India wants to play a more important role internationally, and on the other hand, it wants to balance the great powers.
This practice may not only damage one's diplomatic credibility, but also miss the opportunity to deepen international cooperation. China needs to seriously consider how to deal with India's diplomatic strategy, which not only safeguards national interests, but also promotes the stable development of bilateral relations.
References:
1. "India's official announcement: Modi is about to go to China to attend the SCO Summit" 2025-08-20 06:41 | Source: Global Network
2. "Pakistan Media: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Builds a" Bridge of Cultural Exchange "" 2024-12-19 10:38 | Source: Reference News