From ‘dragon and the elephant’ to 'pillars of the Global South' – how Chinese media covered PM Modi's visit
PM Modi's visit to China was closely monitored by the Chinese media, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the two nations. With references to the 'dragon and the elephant,' both leaders emphasised mutual respect and strategic communication for peace and progress.
Chinese state media prominently covered Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China after seven years. During this visit, he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and met global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Global Times, a prominent state-run Chinese media outlet, published an article titled "China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals: Xi. " The article highlighted President Xi Jinping's remarks about the bilateral meeting, saying, “as long as the two countries stick to this overarching direction, China-India relations can sustain steady and long-term growth.”
The Global Times also reported that Xi said China and India should become neighbours on good terms and partners helping each other succeed.
‘Dragon and the elephant’
The Global Times reported that a ‘cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant’ should be the right choice for the two countries, quoting Xi's oft-repeated phrase 'The dragon and the elephant' as a metaphor for China and India.
PM Modi met with Xi Jinping this morning on the sidelines of the SCO Summit on Sunday.
"Had a fruitful meeting with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. We reviewed the positive momentum in India-China relations since our last meeting in Kazan. We agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas and reaffirmed our commitment to cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity," Modi said in a post on X.
Another Chinese state-run media outlet, Xinhua, said that President Xi Jinping welcomed PM Modi to the SCO summit, emphasising the importance of the two countries viewing their bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, pursuing further improvement from the Tianjin meeting onward, and working for their sustained, sound, and steady development.
‘Deepen mutual trust’
During his bilateral with PM Modi, Xi Jinping called for strengthening "strategic communication to deepen mutual trust, expand exchanges and win-win cooperation, heed each other's concerns to seek harmonious coexistence, and enhance multilateral collaboration to safeguard common interests."
Xi also stressed that the two Asian neighbours must ensure “peace and tranquillity in their border regions, and should not let the border issue define the overall China-India relations.”
The meeting between the two leaders comes amid growing global uncertainty and US President Donald Trump's decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on imports from India, including a 25 per cent duty targeting India's purchase of Russian oil.
Xinhua highlighted Xi's remarks about India and China as two pillars of the Global South.
(With ANI inputs)