Now Reading: Xi Jinping to visit India as pragmatic détente masks deep mistrust
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Xi Jinping to visit India as pragmatic détente masks deep mistrust
Xi Jinping to visit India as pragmatic détente masks deep mistrust
The Story in Brief
The Story in Brief
China's President Xi Jinping will visit New Delhi in March for his first trip since 2019, even as both sides maintain a fragile détente along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The October 2024 agreement restored patrolling in eastern Ladakh and resumed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after five years, but no de-escalation has occurred, with additional forces from 2020 still deployed.
Trade ties reveal growing asymmetry: India's imports from China rose to Rs 11.10 lakh crore ($131.63 billion) in 2025-26, up from Rs 7.97 lakh crore in 2021-22, widening the deficit to Rs 10.37 lakh crore. Hindustan Times notes Chinese advances in AI, EVs, and dual-use infrastructure in Tibet outpace India's response. Meanwhile, Beijing's use of Pakistan to contain India remains unchanged, and India-US fraying ties provide incentive to stabilise relations with Beijing on manageable terms.
The Indian Opinion
The media often frames China-India ties as a binary of rivalry or reset. The reality is messier: the October 2024 border pact restored patrolling, yet troop numbers stay high and the trade deficit has ballooned to Rs 10.37 lakh crore. A visit by Xi Jinping will test whether photo opportunities are merely choreographed pauses. Watch if direct flights resume or if the Special Representatives finally produce a framework on the LAC, after 24 meetings, talk alone no longer suffices.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Ashin Xavier: interesting
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IO Repro: Repro test after fix 2 Oct. Safe to trash.