Tianjin, Aug 31 Chinese media have voiced optimism that relations between New Delhi and Beijing will remain steady in the coming period as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The meeting is seen as an effort to strengthen bilateral relations and build on the progress achieved recently, while also unfolding against the backdrop of growing US tariff threats.
The last meeting between the two leaders took place during the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.
Commenting on the talks, Shen Shiwei, a CGTN Digital reporter and founder of the China Briefing newsletter, told IANS, "The border issues were a point of tension between the two countries, and things have recently improved in recent times and hopefully will continue to do so."
Speaking on the significance of the summit, Shiwei described it as the "largest-ever SCO Summit" and highlighted its evolution over the last two decades.
He noted that the organisation has "grown significantly and attracted widespread attention".
"This time, two important things are on the table -- strategic dialogue between all the leaders, which will include both multilateral meetings and numerous bilateral discussions; and the Tianjin declaration will be approved. This will pave a pathway to development and progress of the organisations and the member countries in the next decades," Shiwei said.
Weighing in on the geopolitical impact of the summit, Nelson Pancini De Sa, a journalist with Brazil-based Folha de S.Paulo, observed that the coming together of PM Modi, Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin could prove "symbolic" in reshaping the global order in light of Washington's tariff threats.
Speaking to IANS, he stated, "The SCO is a strategic organisation and this time, the articulation between India, China and Russia is significant and all three leaders coming together is symbolic. These countries have huge power in Asia, which is the continent of the future, and three of them getting together might decide the future. Putin has been a connection between India and China, and I think he will continue to serve as the bridge between both."
He further stressed that the SCO summit could potentially bring more stability along the India-China border.
"The SCO has proved, for so many years, that it has helped bring stability in Central and South Asia through dialogue. That still remains to be seen," Nelson Pancini De Sa added.
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