At the SCO Summit, which was held between 31 August 2025 to 1 September 2025, PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen the bilateral ties and resolve the border issues. He also met Russian President Vladimir Putin. The ties between both nations came to fruition, especially in between the tariff chaos by the US. They discussed the ways for cooperation between the two realms. In fact, Putin gave a ride to PM Modi in his Aurus Limousine.
The Summit could be crucial step for bilateral ties between India and China, where both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen their ties based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.
On the sidelines of the SCO Summit, PM Modi also met Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu. During their meet up, he stated that India’s cooperation with the Indian Ocean Island nations will be mutually beneficial. This could be a great step towards the Maritime Security.
As in the past years, there have been significant threats in maritime. The issues include geopolitical tensions, piracy, environmental concerns and labor shortages. In Addition, the expanding influence of China and its naval presence, makes it even more necessary.
However, it’s worth noting that China has been a direct rival to India since a long time, and the history of border clashes between them is not hidden. A most recent example is 2020’s Galwan Valley Clashes. Here, the clashes triggered when India said that the two tents and observation towers built on its sidelines of the de-facto border and which the troops set a fire after discovered by the patrol. In response, the Chinese soldiers, who were lightly armed because of the rules of engagement in the region. They clashed with each other into hand-to-hand combat. Aftermath, they beat each other with rocks and sticks with embedded nails.
The Other reason which tangles the ties is India’s neutral stance. India is often considered as a fence sitter. As India has maintained its neutral opinions several times. For example, India refused to sign a paragraph related to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the previous SCO. Even in this SCO, PM Modi once again refused to endorse it.
All these factors highlights that the issues between both nations are very complex, which cumberstones the ties even more.
