Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “friend” while his government moved to bolster relations with China, another sign the South Asian nation is tilting away from the US in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been moving to align India with the United States and freeze out China. Now, efforts to rebuild ties between the Asian giants are gaining momentum.

India and China are aware of the “very high political, economic and military cost of frozen relations,” he says. “China felt it had pushed India too close to the U.S. while India realized that it was losing its vaunted strategic autonomy by getting too close to Washington and turning Beijing into an adversary.”

China is India’s largest trading partner in goods, with the south Asian country exporting more than $14bn in the 2024-25 financial year and importing a record $113bn of goods.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday discussed border peace, trade issues and bilateral exchanges, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Beijing has officially welcomed PM Modi to attend the SCO summit this month-end. However, “fence sitter” India could make a 180-degree turn to strike a deal with US President Trump and skip the SCO, some in China say.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in New Delhi for a crucial two-day visit ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s planned trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Wang Yi will meet PM Modi,

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has participated in the 60th Independence Day celebrations of the Maldives, concluding a two-day visit to the island nation.

China Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his counterpart S Jaishankar in Delhi Monday evening and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later, hinting at a potential reset of fractured ties between two of the world's largest economies as they navigate being bashed by US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.