India’s Modi signals thaw in China ties, reaffirms ‘strong bond’ with Trump

During a podcast, Modi acknowledged border disputes with China, but noted improved ties after meeting President Xi Jinping. He also praised Trump’s “America First” initiative

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to receive visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (not pictured) in New Delhi, India, on March 17. Photo: AP

Published: 6:58pm, 18 Mar 2025Updated: 7:01pm, 18 Mar 2025

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shed light on New Delhi’s delicate balancing act between China and the United States during a rare interview, indicating a thaw in relations with Beijing while reaffirming his strong personal ties with US President Donald Trump.

Modi acknowledged that ongoing border disputes between India and China had caused tensions, but expressed optimism that the relationship was improving following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October.

“It is true that there have been ongoing border disputes between us. And in 2020, the incidents along the border created significant tensions,” Modi said during an episode of the Lex Fridman podcast released over the weekend.

“However, after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020,” he added.

Modi’s meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Kazan last year marked their first in-person talks since the 2020 deadly border clash, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

The talks followed an agreement between China and India to enhance patrols along their shared Himalayan border, effectively de-escalating a four-year military stand-off.