Xi Jinping’s secret letter to India sparks a diplomatic thaw as PM Modi heads to China for the SCO Summit 2025. Photo/ANI.
India and China are quickly moving to improve bilateral relations after the 2020 Doklam incident. New reports have emerged claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping extended an olive branch in March this year when the strongman wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu. Bloomberg reports that when US President Donald Trump was threatening countries worldwide with the imposition of tariffs, China reached out to India with a secret letter to President Murmu.
The report, quoting an Indian official familiar with the matter, said the letter expressed China’s concerns about any potential US-India agreements that could harm Beijing’s interests. It also allegedly identified a provincial official tasked with steering Beijing’s outreach.
Xi’s letter, initially addressed to President Murmu, was later communicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shortly after, China issued a public statement from Xi celebrating bilateral ties, describing the partnership as a “dragon-elephant tango.”
The phrase was subsequently picked by senior Chinese leaders, including Vice President Han Zheng, who used it to signal Beijing’s intent to strengthen ties with New Delhi.
The Bloomberg report stated that it was not until June that the Indian government began to seriously pursue improved relations with China. By August, the pace of reconciliation had accelerated, particularly after Trump imposed tariffs on both India and China.
In response, New Delhi and Beijing took significant steps to move beyond the deadly Galwan Valley clashes of 2020. Both sides agreed to intensify efforts to settle border disputes, marking a notable thaw in ties.
Prime Minister Modi is visiting China on August 31 after seven years. India and China witnessed a diplomatic downside after the security forces of the two Asian giants clashed on the border. Military forces of the two countries even came to blows in Galwan.
PM Modi is likely to meet President Xi on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The two leaders last shared stage in 2024 at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.
Commenting on the developments, Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project, told Reuters that Xi views the SCO summit as a chance to highlight a shifting world order.
“Xi will want to use the summit as an opportunity to showcase what a post-American-led international order begins to look like and that all White House efforts since January to counter China, Iran, Russia, and now India have not had the intended effect,” Olander said. “
Just look at how much BRICS has rattled Donald Trump, which is precisely what these groups are designed to do.”
Also Read: PM Modi: Visits to Japan and China Will Strengthen India’s National Interests
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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