Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, during a three-day visit to India. This visit occurs ahead of Prime Minister Modi's planned trip to China to attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, scheduled for August 31 and September 1. Wang Yi's visit is viewed as a crucial step in ongoing efforts by both nations to repair and strengthen their bilateral relationship, which experienced strain following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020.
Wang Yi's official visit to India is from August 18-20. He is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Monday, August 18, and will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House that evening. On Tuesday, August 19, the 24th meeting between the Special Representatives of India and China on the boundary question is scheduled to take place at Hyderabad House. Following this, Wang Yi will meet Prime Minister Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Wang Yi will depart from New Delhi on August 20.
The primary focus of Wang Yi's visit includes holding a fresh round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Wang and Doval are the designated special representatives for these boundary talks. Both sides are expected to discuss new confidence-building measures and review the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Despite the disengagement of troops from friction points, neither side has de-escalated the situation by withdrawing frontline forces from the border. Currently, both India and China maintain a significant troop presence of around 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region.
In addition to the boundary talks, Wang Yi's visit will serve as an opportunity to prepare for Prime Minister Modi's upcoming attendance at the SCO summit in China. Modi is scheduled to visit Japan around August 29 and then travel to Tianjin, China, for the SCO summit. This visit marks Modi's first trip to China since the military face-off on the LAC in April-May 2020. A bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, marking their second meeting since the end of the standoff on the LAC last October.
The recent interactions and dialogues signify a thaw in relations between India and China. Relations between the two countries have been thawing since an agreement last October on patrolling their border, easing a five-year standoff that had hurt trade, investment and air travel. Both countries are also in discussions to resume border trade in locally manufactured goods and are preparing to reinstate direct passenger flight services, which have been suspended since 2020. Furthermore, China has resumed the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra, and India has restarted issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals.
This warming of relations occurs as India faces challenges in its trade ties with the United States. Washington has increased tariffs on Indian exports and has threatened additional tariffs. These trade tensions may be influencing India to improve its relations with China. Despite these factors, India is likely to maintain its strategic autonomy and continue collaborations with both the US and China.
