India’s export engines have been jolted by the sudden spike in American tariffs, a move that threatens both diamond polishers in Surat and seafood exporters along the coast. For a government that has anchored its economic ambitions on trade-driven growth, the blow is sharp. Yet, it is not India alone that feels the heat. China too is struggling with a slowing domestic economy and the heavy drag of Washington’s tariff wall.

Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to engage Beijing acquires new weight. The encounter does not suggest a grand reconciliation; the memories of Ladakh and the bloody Galwan clash remain raw. But what it does signal is that both nations are willing, however cautiously, to explore space for pragmatic cooperation in the shadow of American pressure. The logic is economic. India’s growth prospects remain robust, but its industrial base depends heavily on Chinese........

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