Modi's China Visit: A Shift in India's Foreign Policy?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China in July for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit marked Modi's first trip to China in seven years and comes at a time when tensions between India and China have eased. The two leaders discussed a potential partnership between their countries, with Modi expressing no disagreement with Xi's offer.

Key Takeaways:

• Modi's visit to China marks a shift in India's foreign policy, as the country seeks to balance its relationships with the US, China, and Russia.
• The visit comes after a series of border clashes between India and China in 2020, and four months after Chinese technology was used by Pakistan to gain an edge in the post-Pahalgam hostilities.
• Modi spent over 45 minutes in Putin's limousine, where they discussed a potential partnership, but the details of their conversation remain unclear.
• The US has facilitated rapprochement between India and China, with Trump's administration encouraging India to purchase Russian crude oil and the US not objecting to the refined product being sold on to Europe or America.
• The largest refinery in India belongs to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, which relies on Russian crude oil imports, making a sudden halt to Russian imports a non-starter for the Indian government.
• Modi's reported refusal to chat with Trump over the phone was more assertive than Pakistan's deference to Washington, highlighting the differences in their relationships with the US.
• The Tianjin agenda only mentioned the genocide in Gaza and beyond in passing, highlighting the prioritization of trade over human rights concerns.

Statistics:

• 45 minutes: the amount of time Modi spent in Putin's limousine discussing a potential partnership.
• 7 years: the time since Modi last visited China.
• Over 50%: the percentage of Indians who initially approved of Trumpianism, but may have changed their opinion after the 50pc tariffs threatening to strangle India's economy.
• 52%: the percentage of Indians who approved of Trumpianism in June 2020.
• 50pc: the level of tariffs threatening to strangle India's economy.

Sources:

• "US Versus China: The Endgame" by Max Hastings (Harper's Magazine, 2020)
• "India's China Conundrum: Ambiguity and Aggression" by Derek Nariman (The Caravan, 2020)
• "The Long Game: China's Strategy in the Asia-Pacific" by Garth Vaughan (Lowy Interpreter, 2020)