India-China relations, from conflict to cautious thaw

NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks on Sept 12 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.

Here is a look at how ties between the Asian giants have evolved from a deadly 2020 border clash to a more stable footing today, as the Chinese leader makes his first visit to India in seven years.

What happened in 2020?

Indian and Chinese troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat in Galwan Valley in the Indian territory of Ladakh in the western Himalayas – their first deadly military confrontation since 1975 – after Indian soldiers set fire to two tents and observation towers that they said were built on their side of the disputed border.

At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the fighting in Galwan.

The nuclear-armed neighbours share a roughly 3,800km, largely undemarcated and disputed border in the Himalayas.

How did the governments respond?

New Delhi increased scrutiny of Chinese investments, widened vetting of business visas for Chinese citizens, banned popular Chinese mobile apps and severed direct passenger air links.

Beijing said the consensus between the countries had been seriously violated and tightened curbs on people-to-people exchanges, including the travel of journalists and business people.

When did disengagement happen?

The neighbours reached a disengagement pact in October 2024, by which point they had both pulled back troops from five locations where they had been facing off.

The pact also entailed returning to the situation in 2020 by pulling back troops from the remaining two locations – a condition fulfilled by December that year.

What is the situation now?

Trade and business ties have improved, with New Delhi resuming direct flights to China, cutting red tape to speed approval of business visas for Chinese professionals and easing curbs on buying Chinese equipment.

China was the South Asian nation’s largest source of imports in fiscal year 2025/2026, worth US$132 billion (S$167.3 billion), including more than 100 products deemed critical to Indian factories.

Along the frontier, though, both countries continue to maintain substantial military deployments.

What tensions remain?

Besides intermittent tension on the frontier, territorial disputes often flare over India’s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls Zangnan and considers a part of southern Tibet.

China’s role in India’s military conflict in 2025 with arch-rival Pakistan has also complicated ties. Although Beijing was not directly involved, Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese-made fighter jets and missiles during the four-day fighting.

Trade ties also remain fragile, with industry executives highlighting visa delays and bottlenecks in procuring Chinese equipment and components critical in areas such as electronics and infrastructure development.

India is also wary of Chinese investment in industries that it considers sensitive for national security, such as finance, defence and telecom. REUTERS