Editorial

IIE DIGITAL DESK : The Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, warns against reading too much into this warm diplomacy—or misreading what lies beneath. Framed as part of India's diplomatic recalibration amid a strained U.S. relationship, the meeting should not be misinterpreted as a strategic departure from America, nor as a sudden breakthrough with Beijing. The editorial underscores that India’s aspirations for multipolarity and a stable Asia cannot be realised without collaboration with both powers. 

Although television channels herald optics like “Asian solidarity” and “strategic autonomy,” such rhetoric masks deeper contradictions. The editorial cautions that India’s history with China—marked by the 1962 war and intermittent peace efforts—demands caution. Attempts to build neighbourly relations in the past have unravelled over disputes and border standoffs. While dialogue and diplomacy are necessary, they must be grounded in realism and awareness of structural issues that persist. 

Tensions with the U.S.—symbolised by trade-related friction—have not fundamentally altered shared interests. Despite the cooler tone from Washington, Delhi continues to benefit from the strategic texture and institutional depth of its relationship with America. The editorial points out that the foreign policy elite in India has often fallen into a paradox: overestimating what can be achieved with China, while underestimating America's role as a stable ally. That trend cannot guide India’s conduct in this volatile moment.

The piece argues that for India to pursue a truly multipolar Asia, cooperation with both China and the U.S. is non-negotiable. Overplaying one side's gains and underplaying the other's value risks isolating India from long-term strategic partnerships. It’s not about choosing one over the other, but about navigating a nuanced path between them. 

Context from broader coverage enriches the picture. India’s engagement with China, seen at the SCO summit, is part of a gradual thaw in relations. After years of tensions caused by border standoffs since 2020, dialogue has resumed, some flights and pilgrimages reinstated, and disengagement at the Line of Actual Control agreed upon. Yet deep-seated mistrust remains, especially given China’s strategic ties with Pakistan.

Across the SCO stage, optics of unity serve broader strategic messaging. Analysts view this summit as part of China’s push to shape a multipolar world order, in which India plays a central but calculated role.  The U.S.’s erratic trade policies have spurred India to diversify its diplomatic engagements. But the editorial reminds us that such diversification must not come at the expense of its longstanding, multi-dimensional ties with the U.S.