Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a significant meeting on August 31 in Tianjin, China, marking a crucial step toward stabilizing one of Asia’s most strategically important relationships. The talks took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where leaders from across Eurasia gathered. For both New Delhi and Beijing, the meeting represented an opportunity to recalibrate ties after years of turbulence, particularly following the deadly border clashes of 2020.

This is Modi’s first visit to China since 2018 and comes after months of quiet negotiations designed to reduce tensions. Although Modi and Xi met briefly at the BRICS summit in Kazan last October, this face-to-face engagement carried far greater weight, symbolizing a willingness to address structural irritants and search for avenues of cooperation.

Speaking after the talks, Modi highlighted what he described as a new “positive direction” in bilateral ties. “There is peace and stability on the borders,” he said, referencing the long-contested Himalayan frontier where Indian and Chinese troops remain deployed in large numbers despite recent disengagement agreements. He also noted symbolic yet politically significant developments, such as the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage route that draws thousands of Indian devotees to sacred sites in Tibet, as well as plans to restore direct commercial flights between the two countries.

Xi, for his part, echoed the importance of cooperation, stressing that the destinies of nearly 2.8 billion people are intertwined. While his remarks were more measured, they underscored China’s........

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