Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first visit to Beijing since the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that strained India-China relations.
Before heading to China, PM Modi will visit Japan on August 30. This diplomatic outreach follows a series of high-level interactions aimed at restoring normalcy between the two Asian powers.
Earlier in June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had attended SCO ministerial meetings. Jaishankar also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, underlining the importance of continued leadership engagement in stabilizing bilateral ties.
India-China relations deteriorated sharply in May 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan, eastern Ladakh. Casualties were also reported on the Chinese side.
Following more than four years of strained ties, PM Modi and President Xi met on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. The meeting marked a turning point, as both leaders endorsed a complete disengagement and resolution of border issues.
An agreement was reached on patrolling arrangements in Depsang and Demchok, restoring pre-2020 status along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Progress has also been made in people-to-people exchanges. In June, India and China agreed to:
- Resume direct air services
- Reopen the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
- Facilitate visas
- Share hydrological data on transnational rivers
India has also announced it will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals, signaling a broader thaw in ties.
