Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a statement from Japan:
“Strong ties with China are crucial and will have a positive impact on regional peace and prosperity and will bring stability to the global economy.”
India's Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral trade between Delhi and Tokyo. He will visit four factories, including one making a prototype of the E10 Shinkansen bullet train, which India hopes to purchase, as well as signing MoUs related to defense technology and business.
From there, he is going to travel to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, which also includes Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I will travel to Tianjin from here to take part in the SCO summit. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan (in Russia, during an earlier SCO meet) last year, steady and positive progress has been made in our bilateral ties,” He told Japanese media houses.
“Stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, the two largest nations on Earth, can create a positive impact on global peace and prosperity,” he said, echoing remarks after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Delhi this month.
“This is also crucial for multipolarisation in Asia and the world.”
The summit will see 25 heads of member states meet, as India navigates global economic and geopolitical turbulence arising from Russia's war on Ukraine, Israel’s war on Gaza, and the United States’ 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to that country.
The US move in particular has led to a thaw in decades-long India–China military tensions, as the two Asian giants recalibrate ties to offset potential economic losses arising from Trump’s tariffs.
The Indian government reported that the tariffs are likely to affect $48 billion in exports.
Mr. Wang said then that “making the dragon and elephant dance is the only right choice.” This metaphor was also used by China’s Xi Jinping, a sign that Beijing is serious about exploring more mutually beneficial ties with India. In fact, there are some whispers that Mr. Xi personally reached out.