As the world progresses with unprecedented changes unseen in a century, the direction of China-India relations not only affects peace and prosperity in Asia but also shapes the evolution of the global landscape. As the two largest developing countries with a combined population of over 2.8 billion and a combined GDP accounting for more than 20 percent of the world's total, the healthy development of China-India relations is a shared aspiration of both peoples and the international community.
From the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, to the multiple consensuses reached during Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India in August 2025, China-India relations are undergoing a significant transition from a period of low ebb to a steady recovery. At this critical juncture, actively and collaboratively promoting the restart of China-India relations not only has a solid practical basis but also carries far-reaching strategic significance.
Frequent high-level interactions inject strong momentum into the restart of China-India relations
In recent years, the frequency and depth of high-level exchanges between China and India have increased significantly, providing strong strategic guidance for the improvement and development of the bilateral relationship. In October 2024, President Xi and Prime Minister Modi held a successful meeting in Kazan, which was regarded by both sides as an important turning point in leading China-India relations to overcome difficulties and challenges and embark on a new journey. In the meeting, Xi stressed that China-India relations are essentially a question of how the two large developing countries and neighbors, each with a 1.4-billion-strong population, treat each other. Development is now the biggest shared goal of China and India. The two sides should continue to uphold their important understandings, including that China and India are each other's development opportunity rather than threat, and cooperation partner rather than competitor. They should maintain a sound strategic perception of each other, and work together to find the right and bright path for big, neighboring countries to live in harmony and develop side by side. Meanwhile, Modi said that maintaining the steady growth of India-China relations is critical to the two countries and peoples. Cooperation between India and China, two ancient civilizations and engines of economic growth, can help drive economic recovery and promote multipolarity in the world. India is willing to strengthen strategic communication, enhance strategic mutual trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation with China. It will give every support for China's Shanghai Cooperation Organization presidency and strengthen communication and cooperation with China in BRICS and other multilateral frameworks. The strategic consensus of the two leaders pointed toward restarting China-India relations.
The political guidance effect of high-level interactions between the two countries has continued to manifest in subsequent exchanges. In January 2025, China and India held a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Foreign Minister mechanism in Beijing, focusing on promoting the implementation of the common understandings reached between Chinese and Indian leaders at their meeting in Kazan and discussing measures to improve and develop China-India relations. The two sides reached multiple agreements on improving and developing China-India relations in areas such as economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and border management.
In August, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, visited India at the invitation of the Indian side. He became the first Chinese foreign minister to visit India in more than three years, marking an important breakthrough in the two countries' high-level engagement. During the visit, Wang received a high-level reception, holding Special Representatives' Talks on the Boundary Question with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as well as talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. A series of important consensuses were reached, further paving the way for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China at the end of August and early September to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. Since 2025, Doval and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh have visited China for SCO meetings, while Jaishankar also paid a visit to China in conjunction with the meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council.
This multidimensional interaction, combining high-level political dialogues with specialized mechanism consultations, fully reflects the political will of both sides to improve relations through dialogue and consultation. It has strongly promoted the gradual recovery of China-India relations from the difficulties following the Galwan Valley clash, injecting strong momentum into a fresh restart.
Core consensus between the two countries charts a concrete path for bilateral relations
Amid intensive high-level interactions, China and India have engaged in positive, constructive, forward-looking discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern, reaching a series of important consensuses across political, economic, security and cultural fields. These consensuses encompass both strategic-level principles and operational-level arrangements, jointly forming a solid foundation for restarting relations.
Chinese President Xi stressed that "China and India should continue to uphold their important understandings, including that China and India are each other's development opportunity rather than threat, and cooperation partner rather than competitor." When meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Modi also noted that India and China are partners, not rivals and are facing the common task of accelerating development. He emphasized that both sides should strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding and expand cooperation to demonstrate to the world the great potential and bright prospects of India-China cooperation.
President Xi has proposed building a community with a shared future for humanity, while Modi has advocated the idea of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," which means the world is one family. These visions resonate with each other. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also noted that "under the joint guidance of leaders of both countries, India-China relations have moved from the bottom and are continuously improving and developing, with exchanges and cooperation between the two sides across various fields moving toward normalization." The reaffirmation by both sides of the strategic perception that they are "each other's development opportunity rather than threat" has cleared away conceptual barriers for the healthy development of China-India relations.
The 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question reached 10 points of consensus, reflecting the pragmatic approach of both sides to address differences through dialogue and consultation. The two sides agreed on the need to take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the China-India Boundary Question signed in 2005.
Significantly, both sides agreed to set up an Expert Group, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on the China-India border affairs framework, to explore the Early Harvest of boundary delimitation on appropriate Sectors. This institutional innovation has opened up a new path for the gradual resolution of the boundary issue.
At the same time, concrete arrangements such as creating General-Level Mechanisms in the Eastern and Middle Sectors, reopening the three traditional border trading markets, namely Renqinggang-Changgu, Pulan-Gunji and Jiuba-Namgya, will help safeguard peace and stability in border areas and foster the overall development of China-India ties.
Through practical cooperation, the two sides reached a series of consensuses aimed at elevating the level of bilateral cooperation. At their August 2025 foreign ministers' meeting, both sides agreed to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries through concrete measures. Notably, India's Economic Survey 2023-2024 unexpectedly recommended attracting "Chinese investment" to "boost Indian manufacturing and plug India into the global supply chain," while the government think tank NITI Aayog recently proposed easing additional scrutiny on Chinese enterprises. Both developments reflect India's proactive attitude and sense of urgency in strengthening economic and trade cooperation with China. In addition, the two sides exchanged views on trans-border rivers cooperation and agreed to give full play to the role of the China-India Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers and keep communication channels open on the renewal of relevant MoUs.
The consensus reached in the field of people-to-people exchanges has injected fresh impetus for enhancing mutual trust between the people of China and India. Both sides agreed to jointly commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India in 2025, and to carry out media and think-tank exchanges, Track II talks and other people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Regarding personnel exchanges, both sides agreed to resume direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India, support the coordination and promotion of the competent departments of the two countries, and take measures to facilitate personnel exchanges and mutual dispatch of journalists between the two countries.
Regarding the traditional exchange program of Indian pilgrims visiting sacred mountains and lakes in Xizang, China, both sides agreed to resume the initiative in 2025 and further expand its scale in 2026, as a gesture reflecting mutual recognition of the positive contribution people-to-people exchanges make to the renewed momentum in China-India relations.
On multilateral cooperation, both China and India agreed to enhance coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the SCO and BRICS. India expressed its full support for China's role as the rotating chair of the SCO, while China pledged its backing for India's hosting of the 2026 BRICS Summit, establishing a mutually supportive dynamic.
They also agreed to promote multilateralism, enhance communication on major international and regional issues, jointly uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, advance global multipolarity and safeguard the interests of developing nations.
Accumulation of favorable domestic and international conditions lays solid foundation for renewed China-India relations
The restart of China-India relations is not a fortuitous political choice, but an inevitable trend grounded in shared interests, practical needs and historical foundations. The convergence of a series of favorable conditions currently provides robust support for the sustained improvement of the bilateral relationship.
Economic complementarity forms the material basis for China-India cooperation. China possesses strengths in manufacturing, infrastructure and capital-intensive technologies, while India boasts a vast market, abundant labor force and developed service sectors. This divergence in economic structures creates immense potential for collaboration. Even during periods of political tension, China-India economic and trade relations have demonstrated remarkable resilience.
Bilateral trade volume reached about $138.48 billion in 2024, with China firmly maintaining its position as India's largest trading partner. In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade reached $74.3 billion, marking a 10.2 percent year-on-year increase and signaling robust recovery in economic cooperation.
By strengthening trade and investment ties with China, India has gained access to cost-effective goods, capital and equipment, significantly advancing its domestic infrastructure development and industrialization, as well as substantially reducing its inflation, and improving the living standards of its citizens.
Currently, the Modi government is accelerating initiatives such as "Making India Self-Reliant" and "Make in India," while China is advancing Chinese modernization and promoting high-level opening-up. The convergence of the two countries in terms of development stages and goals provides broad space for strategic cooperation and the exchange of modernization experiences.
The Indian Economic Survey 2024 recommended a calibrated easing of restrictions on Chinese foreign direct investment, which reflects India's urgent need to leverage cooperation with China to achieve its own development goals.
The restoration and development of people-to-people exchanges provide a social foundation for improving ties between the two nations. As two ancient civilizations, China and India have maintained friendly exchanges throughout history, and this civilizational bond has a timeless vitality. By 2019, China and India had established 14 sister city and provincial partnerships, with over 1 million people-to-people exchanges and more than 40 flights daily between the two countries. Behind these numbers is the desire of the people of both countries to enhance mutual understanding. Despite setbacks in recent years, people-to-people exchanges are showing clear signs of recovery in the relationship. In the first quarter of 2025, China issued 70,000 visas to Indian nationals, a 15 percent increase compared to the previous year. India is also considering easing visa restrictions for Chinese citizens, demonstrating a strong resilience of people-to-people exchanges. With the restoration of direct flights and the implementation of visa facilitation measures, people-to-people exchanges are expected to return to normal, providing a solid public support base for building political mutual trust.
The development of multilateral mechanisms provides an important platform for China-India cooperation. Both China and India are members of multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS, the SCO and the G20. They share common interests in upholding multilateralism and promoting global governance reforms. The SCO, as an important platform for multilateral cooperation between China and India, has expanded from security cooperation to robust cooperation in various fields, growing from six member countries to a big SCO family spanning 26 countries across three continents. The expansion of the BRICS mechanism also offers new opportunities for enhanced coordination between China and India in global economic governance. In the current context of rampant unilateral bullying, and with free trade and international order facing severe challenges, China-India coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks have become increasingly strategically significant.
Global geopolitical changes have created favorable external conditions for the improvement of China-India relations. As the trend of multipolarization deepens, China and India, as important members of the Global South, are increasingly united in their common stance against hegemonism and in safeguarding the rights and interests of developing countries.
Recently, former Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale wrote in The Times of India that "Indian and Chinese interests diverge in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. But globally, in the face of Trumpian disorder, India's strategic, economic and technological interests lie in working with China." Collaboration with China in G20, BRICS and other mechanisms of the Global South is important in the transition to a new, more equitable world order, he argued. Cooperation with China also serves India's own development and the Global South agenda, from climate, finance and technology to order-building, by balancing the Western-dominated world order.
Gokhale's evolving perspective reflects the latest recalibration in India's strategic community regarding China. It signals India's growing recognition of the major strategic value of improving relations with China, an attempt to leverage China's role to ease its own strategic pressure in great-power relations and to expand its strategic room for maneuver.
The restart of China-India relations is an inevitable trend of history
From the strategic guidance of the China-India leaders' meeting in Kazan in 2024 to the pragmatic outcomes of Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India in 2025, bilateral ties are steadily returning to a healthy and stable trajectory. The two countries have been expanding consensus across political, economic, security and cultural domains, while favorable conditions for advancing relations continue to accumulate. The stabilization and improvement of China-India relations are undoubtedly shaped by shared external pressures. However, more fundamentally, they stem from the proactive efforts of both sides to readjust and recalibrate the strategic value of one another. This trend has not come easily, and deserves to be cherished and consolidated.
Of course, restarting China-India relations will not be smooth sailing, nor can strategic trust be rebuilt overnight. Yet as long as both sides approach the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective; adhere to the recognition that they are each other's development opportunities rather than threats; manage differences through dialogue and consultation; focus on expanding cooperation in areas of shared interest; respect each other's core concerns; and seize fleeting opportunities to continuously build mutual trust, then bottlenecks in bilateral relations can be overcome, and a new path can be forged for neighboring major countries to coexist peacefully and pursue win-win cooperation.
The recently concluded SCO Summit in Tianjin has provided fresh opportunities for the advancement of China-India relations. It is hoped that the two countries will build on this momentum to further consolidate consensus, set a clear direction and push their ties, on the basis of rebooting and restarting, toward a new stage of greater stability, maturity, vitality and resilience. In doing so, they can make due contributions as major powers to global multipolarity and the democratization of international relations.
（Lan Jianxue is the director of the Department of Asia-Pacific Studies at China Institute of International Studies. Source: Global Times: Sep 02, 2025.）