Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China after a gap of seven years has been accorded wide and prominent coverage in Chinese state media, underscoring the event’s strategic significance for bilateral relations and for the broader geopolitical environment.

His meeting with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, has been portrayed by outlets such as the Global Times and Xinhua as a turning point that could redefine India–China ties.

Chinese media framed the interaction not as one defined by rivalry but as one moving toward greater cooperation, echoing Xi Jinping’s recurring sentiment that both nations must view each other as partners rather than competitors.

In particular, Xi’s oft-cited metaphor of the “dragon and the elephant dancing in harmony” was once again highlighted in the Global Times, serving as a symbolic reaffirmation of China’s approach toward India and the need to embrace a cooperative framework in foreign policy.

The discourse emerging from the Chinese side has focused heavily on the notions of strategic trust, long-term vision, and mutual respect. Xi Jinping, in his remarks reported by Xinhua, stressed the importance of India and China considering their bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, with an emphasis on ensuring “peace and tranquillity” in border regions, while simultaneously preventing the border dispute from dominating or defining the overall relationship.

This was further echoed in Modi’s own statement on social media platform X, where he described the meeting as “fruitful,” highlighting the positive momentum in recent years and reaffirming mutual commitment to cooperation based on respect, interest, and sensitivity to each other’s concerns. Both leaders appeared aligned on avoiding border frictions from spilling over into political and economic domains, an approach welcomed by Chinese commentators as constructive.

The timing of the meeting is also crucial, occurring in the midst of growing volatility in the global order. With U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of steep tariffs on Indian goods, including punitive measures targeting India’s purchase of Russian oil, India–China cooperation is being framed by Chinese analysts as a stabilising factor in the Global South and as a counterbalance to Western protectionist trends.

State-run outlets highlighted Xi’s positioning of India and China as two leading pillars of the Global South, emphasising their characteristics as major developing economies with complementary strengths. This framing aims at placing their partnership as central to advancing shared interests of emerging economies, including in trade, energy security, and multilateral collaboration.

Beyond leadership statements, Chinese journalists covering the summit also gave prominence to the symbolism of Modi’s visit and its implications. Zhang Xiao, a Hindi-speaking Chinese journalist who introduced herself as “Anjali,” underlined the depth of economic opportunities that could arise from India–China collaboration, particularly in trade and technology.

She focused on highlighting India and China’s position as large neighbouring economies with extensive trade networks, suggesting that cooperation in technology and development should be prioritised over tension.

Similarly, Wu Lei, Chief Editor of CGTN, stressed how the leaders’ mutual commitment to sidestepping disputes, particularly over the boundary issue, demonstrates both countries’ intent to stabilise ties.

Wu highlighted expectations of the resumption of direct flights, stronger economic exchange, security cooperation, and an expansion of people-to-people linkages in both the SCO and BRICS frameworks.

The SCO Summit itself provided the backdrop for demonstrating the global and regional significance of the Modi–Xi meeting. With China hosting the SCO’s presidency this year, Tianjin has become the focal point of widespread diplomatic engagement, with over 3,000 journalists reportedly covering the event.

The Tianjin Declaration, slated for release during the summit, is expected to encapsulate not just the organisation’s progress but also its members’ commitment to collaborative approaches against global challenges such as unilateralism and protectionism.

Wu Lei further emphasised the symbolic dimension of the summit, pointing to planned statements commemorating the 80th anniversary of the global anti-fascist struggle and the founding of the United Nations, situating the SCO’s discourse within a broader historical perspective of unity and multilateralism.

Overall, Chinese state media has portrayed Modi’s visit and his engagement with Xi as a moment of renewal in India–China relations, one which balances pragmatism with symbolism. The emphasis on peace in border areas, collaboration in multilateral fora, and unity as Global South partners combined with depictions of extensive trade, connectivity, and cultural exchanges portray an optimistic outlook for ties.

While underlying tensions remain implicit, particularly concerning the border dispute and the broader contest for geopolitical influence, the narratives emerging from Tianjin suggest that both sides recognise the strategic necessity of cooperation in an increasingly unstable global order.

This coverage also reflects Beijing’s diplomatic signalling that India is a vital partner in shaping a multipolar world order, making the Tianjin meeting not just a bilateral engagement but a widely watched geopolitical event with long-term implications.

Based On ANI Report