- India and China are important members of the Global South, says China
- India-China direct flights may resume next month, pending official confirmation
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit India next week for talks
China on Thursday said that India and Beijing are two important members of the Global South and a "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" is the right choice for both sides, per a report by the Global Times.
The two Asian countries have been on US President Donald Trump's radar since he started weaponising tariffs. In April, the US and China had a brief trade war, with the former raising tariffs as high as 145 per cent.
However, China had capped the tariff at 125 per cent, saying, "Even if the US further raises tariffs to even higher levels, it would be economically meaningless and would ultimately become a laughingstock in the history of global economics".
Similarly, recently Trump imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on India, including 25 per cent as penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons. The tariffs are set to be effective from August 27th.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Beijing is ready to work with India to increase political mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation together while also cooperating on multilateral platforms such as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and handling differences while keeping a note of the bigger picture.
Moreover, as India and China try to revamp their political ties, they are set to resume direct flights as early as next month according to a Bloomberg report. The government has asked airlines in India to be prepared for flights to China on short notice. According to the report, an official confirmation could come as soon as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit at the end of August, in China.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to visit India next week to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
