The real reason Modi went to China

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China, to attend the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin, was by any measure a milestone. Modi’s first visit to China in seven years represented a long-awaited breakthrough in China-India relations and a snub to Washington, whose relations with Delhi have recently nosedived.

Significantly, the Indian leader traveled to China to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders’ summit, at which he also met Russian President Vladimir Putin. In short, the visit was rich in geopolitical signaling and symbolism. Beyond these, however, the visit has a deeper meaning, both for Indian foreign policy and China-India relations.

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