NEW DELHI, August 31. /TASS/. The Indian and Chinese authorities are committed to developing bilateral relations for the benefit of their citizens and the whole world, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.
"Last year in Kazan, we had very productive talks that set a positive direction for our relations. After the withdrawal of troops from the border, an atmosphere of peace and stability has developed," Modi said in a video statement posted later on his X page.
According to the Indian prime minister, an agreement on border control has been reached, and direct air service between the two countries is being resumed. "The interests of 2.8 billion people in both countries depend on our cooperation. This will pave the way for the well-being of all humanity. We are determined to develop our relations on the basis of mutual trust, respect, and attention to sensitive issues," he said.
Modi congratulated Xi Jinping on China's successful chairmanship of the SCO and thanked him for the invitation to visit China.
The Indian prime minister visited China for the first time since 2018. Relations between India and China have begun to improve since Modi and Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024, for the first time in almost five years. At that time, they agreed to resume direct air connections between the two countries, which had been suspended after the pandemic and border clashes in 2020.
According to the PTI news agency, Modi's meeting with Xi Jinping took on special significance against the backdrop of strained relations between India and the US due to the Trump administration's trade and tariff policies. Before his trip to Tianjin, Modi emphasized the importance of India and China working together to maintain the stability of the global economic order.