PM Modi Stresses Strategic Autonomy, Tells Xi Ties Shouldn't Be Seen Through Third-Country Lens

Last Updated:August 31, 2025, 15:02 IST

PM Modi and Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit in China, during which the Prime Minister stressed on strategic autonomy of both countries.

PM Modi China visit: PM Modi holds bilateral with Xi Jinping (Reuters Image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a crucial bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin on Sunday, where the two leaders hailed the improvement in ties in recent months and spoke in detail about their perspectives on how to take the relations forward.

While the Prime Minister stressed on the “strategic autonomy" of both India and China, the Chinese President called upon New Delhi to work together to promote a “multipolar world".

The Chinese leader’s message was in reference to the United States, which strongly opposes the idea of a multipolar power centre in the world.

PM Modi told Xi during the meeting that India-China ties should not be seen through the lens of a third country, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.

In turn, the Chinese President pinpointed the need for the two neighbours to come together and be friends.

What Was India’s Message To China?

While the two leaders at the table expressed satisfaction over the successful disengagement at the border last year and the subsequent peace and tranquility along the border areas since then, they also expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests, MEA said.

“Prime Minister noted that India and China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens. The two leaders deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms," the MEA statement said.

What Was China’s Message To India?

Xi called upon PM Modi to work together to uphold multilateralism and work for the democratisation of relations among countries – in yet another message to the US which is targeting the BRICS nations for their de-dolarisation push. India, being a part of this grouping, however, has not joined the echo and maintained its stance against any de-dolarisation in trade.

“We must jointly demonstrate historical responsibility, uphold multilateralism, strengthen communication and cooperation on major international and regional issues, defend international fairness and justice, work together to promote a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations, and make due contributions to maintaining peace and prosperity in Asia and the world," the Chinese statement said.

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