Indian PM to visit China for the first time in seven years – Reuters
Photo: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Getty Images)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China at the end of August for the first time in over seven years. The visit comes amid rising tensions in relations with the United States, Reuters reports.
According to a source cited by the agency, Modi will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is set to begin on August 31.
Modi’s trip comes at a time when India’s relations with the United States are facing their most serious crisis in recent years. This follows US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose the highest tariffs among Asian countries on goods imported from India and his threats of further sanctions against New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil.
Modi’s visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin to participate in the SCO summit will be his first trip to China since 2018. Later, China-India relations sharply deteriorated after a military clash along their shared Himalayan border in 2020.
It is reported that Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia in October, which led to an improvement in bilateral relations. The neighboring Asian countries are now slowly easing tensions that have hampered business ties and travel between India and China.
Trump imposes additional tariffs on India
US President Donald Trump has stepped up criticism of India over its trade with Russia, as well as what he called "the harshest and most unpleasant non-tariff trade barriers of any country."
The US leader emphasized that India is one of the largest buyers of Russian oil — something he says is happening while Russia continues to refuse to stop killing in Ukraine.
As a result, Trump threatened to impose significant tariffs on India.
Today, August 6, the US president signed an executive order introducing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods.
In addition, Trump may extend the 25% tariffs to other countries as well, specifically, those that purchase Russian oil.
