China and India “should seize the opportunity provided by the current thaw in relations to deepen cooperation through multilateral platforms,” said an article in China Daily that was shared by Yu Jing, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India on Tuesday.
These multilateral platforms, “such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and work to keep bilateral ties on an upward track, injecting fresh momentum into the solidarity among Global South nations and addressing shared challenges, experts said,” the article in China Daily said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China to attend the two-day SCO Summit to be held from August 31 in Tianjin.
Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to China in seven years comes against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump aiming his trade-war guns straight at India, with a cumulative tariff of 50 per cent due to kick in on all goods from India exported to the US.
India’s exports to the US are valued at $87 billion annually, and the tariff blow has already put many industries such as shrimp farming in panic mode.
On the other hand, Trump has been softer on Beijing. On Monday, the US President extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days, delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world's two biggest economies.
Modi’s visit to China “indicates that the ties between the two neighbours are gradually emerging from the tense period of recent years,” Qian Feng, director of research at Tsinghua University's National Strategy Institute, was quoted as saying by China Daily.
The article also quoted prominent CPM leader from Bengal, Mohammed Salim, as saying: "Deepening engagement across diplomatic, economic and cultural spheres is essential for fostering trust and driving substantive cooperation within the SCO framework."