New Delhi: In a congratulatory message to President Droupadi Murmu, on the occasion of India’s 77th Republic Day, Chinese premier Xi Jinping called for greater partnership between the two countries.
“President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Indian President Droupadi Murmu on India’s 77th Republic Day. It should be the right choice for China and India to be good-neighbourly friends and partners that help each other succeed, and have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Chinese ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, posted on X.
This message from Xi follows a thaw in relations between the two neighbours after months of standoff. China and India resumed direct flights in October last year after a five year hiatus.
The commitment toward this was made during Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to India in August 2025. During his bilateral talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, both sides had agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at the earliest and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on facilitating visas for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors in both directions, as reported by ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi, in their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31, noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation.
The Donald Trump administration’s tariff war also helped in bringing the two Asian giants together.
On January 14, foreign secretary Vikram Misri met Sun Haiyan, vice minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, to review the positive momentum in bilateral relations.
The Ministry of External Affairs shared details of the meeting on X, saying that both sides discussed ways to further advance ties through enhanced people-to-people exchanges and by addressing concerns on sensitive issues.
On January 13, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale. The meeting lasted for around half an hour. It was a courtesy call initiated at the request of the CCP delegation and no formal agenda was discussed, sources said later.
The CCP delegation also visited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters, where they met party general secretary Arun Singh and the BJP’s foreign affairs department convener Vijay Chauthaiwale. Sources described the interaction as part of a routine exchange and clarified that both meetings should not be viewed as formal or policy-level engagements.
