On 18-19 August 2025, Mr. Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, paid an official visit to India. It was an important development in the India-China relationship, with Wang Yi co-chairing the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ (SRs) Dialogue on the Boundary Question between India and China with Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor. Wang Yi also held bilateral discussions with EAM S. Jaishankar, and met with PM Modi who highlighted the growing diplomatic momentum and stressed that ‘stable, predictable and constructive’ ties between India and China will contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and beyond. The discussions centred on key issues of bilateral interest, including border stabilisation, economic cooperation, and regional security.
WHY IS WANG YI’s VISIT SIGNIFICANT?
This was Wang Yi’s first visit to India after three years and marks a resumption of high-level diplomatic engagement. More importantly, this meeting comes after the 2020 Galwan clashes and marks a recalibration of ties based on a healthy and stable India-China relationship that serves the long-term interests of both countries, as reiterated by Wang Yi. Secondly, the visit preceded PM Modi’s trip to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, his first visit in seven years, thereby laying the groundwork for stronger bilateral engagements. Thirdly, the visit came at a crucial time, as both countries face pressure from shifting US trade orientations, resulting in a push for pragmatic recalibration of ties and a strategic embrace on both sides.
WHAT DID INDIA AND CHINA DISCUSS?
During his two-day visit to New Delhi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held bilateral discussions with EAM S. Jaishankar on Aug 18, 2025. Discussions centred on the progress made by PM Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Kazan, which included the resumption of exchanges and dialogue, consensus on maintaining peace along the boundary, and the revival of pilgrimage to Xizang, thereby fostering people-to-people ties. Wang Yi emphasised cooperation and mutual success as the foundation of stronger partnerships and highlighted the importance of a multipolar world order built on stable India-China relations and cooperation through multilateral institutions like the SCO and BRICS.
OUTCOMES OF THE VISIT?
The momentum continued in the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ Dialogue on the Boundary Question with NSA Ajit Doval on Aug 19th, 2025. Both agreed to work towards fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable border solutions, deepen economic engagements, resume direct flights after more than four years, facilitate visas, and advance trade through three designated trading points of Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La Pass, and Nathu La Pass. India also strongly raised the issue of terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism, which remains one of the objectives of the SCO framework. Moreover, as a lower riparian state, India raised concerns over China’s construction of a mega dam along the Yarlung Tsangpo River, while at the same time reaffirming its policy on Taiwan.
This was followed by Wang Yi meeting PM Modi, where he conveyed President Xi’s greetings and extended an invitation to the SCO summit in Tianjin. In response, PM Modi emphasised the importance of a stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral relationship. A notable breakthrough came with China easing export restrictions on rare earth, fertilisers, and tunnel boring machines—seen as concrete steps towards rebuilding economic trust and trade relations, aligning with the broader objective of a stable bilateral relationship.
HOW ARE THE DYNAMICS IN INDIA–CHINA RELATIONS CHANGING, AND WHAT CHALLENGES STILL REMAIN?
Before Wang Yi’s visit, India-China ties had been improving after years of tensions following the 2020 Galwan clashes. Disengagement advances were made in late 2024 and early 2025, when India announced the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, considered a significant gesture of goodwill and an easing of tensions. In June 2025, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also met his counterpart, Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, where they discussed disengagement, de-escalation, and border management. This sustained high-level dialogue and cooperation also saw EAM S. Jaishankar visiting China in July 2025 to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tianjin. Jaishankar was greeted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and also met President Xi Jinping, where they discussed sensitive issues such as the border and trade, laying the groundwork for a more meaningful approach between India and China.
Wang Yi’s visit to India was therefore a continuation of this growing engagement. Simultaneously, efforts were made to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue, especially at a time when the US has imposed high tariffs on both India and China, incentivising them to strengthen cooperation across economic, strategic, and diplomatic fronts.
Critically, however, this does not signal a fundamental recalibration of India-China ties. Mistrust persists due to China’s ‘all-weather friendship’ with Pakistan, its assertive infrastructure and military buildup along borders with India, and the Tibet question— particularly uncertainties around the Dalai Lama’s succession process. Still, the easing of tensions has been a strategic necessity and a matter of mutual benefit, shaped by US trade frictions and broader geopolitical uncertainty.
WHAT LIES AHEAD?
Following his India visit, Wang Yi visited Pakistan for the Sixth Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, from Aug 20 to 22. The focus will be on the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Beijing’s engagement with both India and Pakistan in quick succession demonstrates stabilising ties with India while doubling down on its partnership with Pakistan, India’s biggest adversary in the region. This dynamic means that any improvement in India-China relations will inevitably be tested against the depth of China’s commitments to Pakistan.
It was against this backdrop that the diplomatic spotlight turned to PM Modi’s SCO summit visit, where these recalibrated ties were tested. The SCO summit provided India a multilateral platform to deepen its regional engagement and also resulted in direct discussions between President Xi and PM Modi. This created an opportunity for both sides to build on recent momentum and attempt to translate it into more substantive cooperation between the two Asian economic and strategic giants.