Time for the ‘Dragon-Elephant’ dance? China willing to work with India after US tariff blow

With the trade war between the US and China showing no signs of abating, Beijing has urged New Delhi to join hands to counter the “power politics”.

Addressing his annual press conference in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the two countries to work together rather than “undermine or undercut” each other. Stressing that a cooperative partnership between the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both the sides, he said that it is the only path that will truly serve the fundamental interests of both the countries.

In an apparent reference to the US, Wang Yi said, “As important members of the Global South, we have the responsibility to take the lead in opposing hegemonism and power politics. We must not only safeguard legitimate rights and interests of our countries but also uphold the basic norms governing international relations. If China and India join hands, the prospect of greater democracy in international affairs and the stronger Global South will improve greatly.”

The US recently doubled tariffs on Chinese imports to 20 per cent, as part of the announcement of tariffs on Canada and Mexico, too. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump, while addressing a joint session of the Congress, had mentioned India alongside other countries while speaking about nations charging higher tariffs on American products. The US and the European Union, too, have applied import levies to Chinese-made EVs.

China, in turn, has announced retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural and food products after Ottawa's tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles and steel and aluminium products.

‘India and China should be partners in each other's success’

Pointing out that 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic relations, Wang Yi said, “China stands ready to work with India to sum up past experience and forge a fast forward and advance China-India relations on the track of sound and stable development.”

Wang, who is a member of the political bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), also emphasised that the border issues should never affect the bilateral relations between the two countries, in an apparent reference to India stressing the importance of peace at the borders for the development of relations. “As two ancient civilisations, we have enough wisdom and capability to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas pending a fair and reasonable solution to the boundary issue.”

India and China completed the disengagement process last year after the withdrawal of troops from Depsang and Demchok, in eastern Ladakh. PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping then held talks in Kazan on October 23, following which National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang Yi held the 23rd Special Representatives (SR) dialogue in Beijing on December 18. On January 26, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Beiing and met his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong.