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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began his visit to India on August 18, 2025, with a series of high-level meetings aimed at stabilizing relations between the two Asian powers.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing hopes to work with India to deliver on the common understandings reached by the leaders of both countries, sustain the momentum of high-level exchanges, enhance political trust, strengthen practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the long-term healthy development of China-India relations.

High-level talks and the Modi meeting

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and China’s Special Representative on the boundary question, held the 24th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary issue with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He also met India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the agenda includes in-depth discussions on the border situation, trade, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, and regional developments.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Wang Yi on Tuesday at his official residence, a meeting seen as significant since it precedes Modi’s planned trip to China later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

The meeting highlights New Delhi’s effort to recalibrate ties with Beijing amid shifting global dynamics. “Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.

Welcomed Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Delhi this evening.

Highlighted that our relations are best guided by the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest. As we seek to move ahead from a difficult period in our ties, it needs a… pic.twitter.com/xRMYm4Nqpv

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 18, 2025

Boundary talks and peace on the border

The 24th round of Special Representatives talks follows the resumption of dialogue last year after a long pause. During the 23rd round, the two sides reached several common understandings, which are now being implemented. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that the mechanism has played “a positive and constructive role” in negotiations.

“For the upcoming round of talks, China stands ready to continue the in-depth communication with India based on the existing common understandings and with a positive and constructive attitude, and together maintain sustained peace and tranquility in the border areas,” Mao added.

Indian officials have emphasized that peace along the disputed Himalayan border remains the foundation for broader bilateral progress. “Discussing border issues is very important because the basis for any positive momentum in India-China ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace in border areas,” Jaishankar said.

Relations soured sharply in 2020 after a deadly clash in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. While disengagement agreements have reduced tensions, both sides continue to maintain heavy deployments along parts of the 3,500-kilometer frontier.

Economic ties and trade concerns

Beyond the border, economic issues are also central to the visit. India and China have discussed easing restrictions on trade, resuming direct flights suspended since 2020, and reopening border trade routes. New Delhi’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has “remained engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade” through designated points.

China remains India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade crossing $127 billion in the 2024–25 financial year. India exported goods worth over $14 billion, while imports from China reached a record $113 billion. Analysts note that while the trade balance is heavily tilted in China’s favor, restoring dialogue could help address long-standing concerns over market access and barriers.

After he met with Wang, Jaishankar said the two ministers held “productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity, and bilateral exchanges.” He added that the talks would contribute to building “a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship.”

Shifts in India’s foreign policy

The visit takes place against the backdrop of global trade tensions and India’s recalibration of its foreign policy. The New York Times recently reported that “Trump Is Pushing India Back Toward China,” noting that while Modi had leaned toward Washington in recent years, U.S. tariff hikes have highlighted the limitations of that partnership.

Chinese analysts also believe the bilateral relationship has its internal momentum. “China-India relations themselves contain an inherent momentum for improvement. The two sides are moving toward each other, gradually returning to a healthy trajectory of development,” Feng Qian, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, noted.

International context and regional implications

Wang’s visit comes as both countries navigate complex regional and global challenges. Modi is expected to meet President Xi Jinping during the SCO summit in Tianjin at the end of August, marking his first visit to China in seven years. The meeting could provide an opportunity to reset ties and advance cooperation within the multilateral framework.

Foreign experts say the timing is also influenced by U.S. policy. Washington recently imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, raising concerns in India about overdependence on U.S. ties. At the same time, Beijing is seeking to improve relations with key trade partners, including India, the EU, and Australia, to counter U.S. efforts to isolate China.

“After five years of heightened tensions, it was time to engage and restart economic co-operation,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “Trump’s tariff war could have, at best, provided much-needed clarity to New Delhi.”

Despite continued mistrust, both sides appear committed to dialogue. Wang urged India and China to establish “correct strategic understanding, regard each other as partners and opportunities, not as rivals or threats.” He said the two countries, as major developing nations, should set an example for others by working together.

Jaishankar, while more cautious, acknowledged that the relationship must move beyond recent hostilities. “This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides,” he said. He also stressed the need for both militaries to pull back troops amassed along the border since 2020.

The outcome of this week’s talks and Modi’s upcoming visit to China will be closely watched as indicators of whether the world’s two most populous nations can stabilize ties. While their competition will remain, officials on both sides say dialogue is essential to prevent another crisis and to rebuild cooperation in trade, connectivity, and multilateral institutions.