SCO Summit 2025: Vital to be friends, good neighbours, and Dragon and Elephant to come together, Xi tells PM Modi

Chinese President Xi Jinping extending a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during delegation-level talks held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, said that it is vital for the two neighbouring nations to be friends.

Xi emphasised the importance of China-India cooperation amid a rapidly changing global landscape. “The world is going towards transformation. China and India are two of the most civilisational countries. We are the world’s two most populous countries and part of the Global South.”

“It is vital to be friends, a good neighbour, and the Dragon and the Elephant to come together,” he added.

Welcoming PM Modi at the summit, the Chinese President recalled their previous meeting and said, “Last year, we had a successful meeting in Kazan.”

Marking a diplomatic milestone, Xi noted, “This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic relations.”

He urged both sides to approach bilateral ties with a long-term strategic vision, stating, “Both nations need to handle our relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective.”

The Chinese President also called for shared responsibility in shaping the international order. “We must also step up to our historic responsibilities to uphold multilateralism, a multipolar world, and more democracy in international institutions and work together for peace and prosperity in Asia and around the world,” he said.

PM Modi and Xi Jinping’s meeting began with a firm handshake, signalling the next step in rapprochement between the two long-time rivals while also sending a message to the US President Donald Trump, whose tariff offensive has soured Washington’s ties with both New Delhi and Beijing.

The meeting lasted for one hour. PM Modi, who is in China after seven years, highlighted improvements in the bilateral ties, including an agreement between special representatives on the border standoff, to the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the restoration of direct flights between the two countries.

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