Editorial: Dragon-Elephant tango

Beyond the promise of 'the Elephant and the Dragon' coming together, the two countries still have major roadblocks to clear before they are able to engage meaningfully

United States President Donald Trump’s irrational tariff war and his advisers’ malicious rant against India may well constitute an inflexion point in global geopolitics as New Delhi now turns to exploring alternative trade routes to counter America’s bullying tactics. A significant fallout of this diplomatic turbulence is the renewed effort by India and China to repair their ties ruptured by the 2020 border clashes, restore mutual trust, and deepen economic ties. The significance of the warm handshake between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at the Chinese port city of Tianjin, went beyond good optics. The tone and tenor of the statements issued by the two sides on the occasion reflected a fresh and substantive approach to expanding bilateral cooperation. Importantly, Xi spoke about the need for India and China to treat each other as partners, not as rivals, and wanted the ‘dragon and the elephant to dance together.’ This formulation of India and China as “partners, not rivals” is something new and noteworthy. On his part, Modi asserted that India and China both pursue “strategic autonomy”, and their relations should not be seen through a “third country lens”. This too is a new framing since Beijing has long viewed India through the lens of the US, using Delhi as a counterweight to contain China. With the Trump administration coming down hard on India by imposing unjustified tariffs, India is asserting its strategic autonomy in choosing its partners.

Chinese leadership may have realised that Trump’s tariff onslaught is pushing India away from the US, and this has created an opportunity for Beijing to reset the global economic order to its advantage. Whatever the motives, the present circumstances provide a window of opportunity for Beijing and New Delhi to bridge the trust deficit and work together on matters of mutual interest. The immediate takeaway from the Modi-Xi meeting was the resumption of direct flights between the two countries and making the process of issuing visa simpler. But beyond the promise of “the elephant and the dragon” coming together, the two countries still have major roadblocks to clear before they are able to engage meaningfully. Resolving the border tensions is foremost among these challenges. While continuing the efforts on border disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquillity, the two sides should not allow disagreement on a single issue to define the entire relationship. Both have pledged to expand trade and investment ties, recognising the role of the two economies in stabilising global trade. India’s trade deficit with China ballooned to nearly $100 billion in 2024-25. The heavy dependence on Chinese imports also runs counter to the NDA government’s much-touted Aatmanirbharta drive. The fate of the dragon-elephant tango hinges on long-term cooperation anchored in mutual trust and respect.

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