As India and China reconfigure their relationship, US President Donald Trump’s steep trade tariffs may prove to be a blessing in disguise and bring greater urgency to efforts to mend ties between the two neighbours.
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Peace talks have been ongoing, resulting in Indian and Chinese troops pulling back from their common borders last year, and there are other signs of possibly warmer bilateral ties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Tianjin at the end of this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi personally handed him an invitation from President Xi Jinping during Wang’s recent visit to India.
The two countries have agreed to resolve a vexing territorial dispute and resume two-way trade and direct flights after their relations plunged following a border clash in 2020.
At the same time, Trump’s tariffs on both countries have given ample reasons for Beijing and New Delhi to redouble their cooperation and seek greater common ground.
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“First of all, there is no reason for them [India and China] to be hostile to each other,” said Yashwant Deshmukh, an independent political commentator, noting that trade and cultural exchanges have happened for thousands of years between the countries.