Chinese embassy spokesperson in India Yu Jing recently shared images of the Hindu deity Ganesha in an X post, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to China on Saturday evening—his first visit to the country in 7 years.
She posted two striking images: a Ganesha sculpture carved during China's Tang Dynasty, and an intricate cave painting from the Mogao Caves.
ALSO READ | Ahead of China trip, PM Modi was quizzed about India’s role in Quad. This was his reply
"A beautiful reminder of how China and India shared art, faith, and culture centuries ago," Yu Jing wrote in the X post, amid a recent softening of India-China relations.
Ganesha’s image can be found in China's Tang Dynasty and the Mogao Caves!
— Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) August 29, 2025
A beautiful reminder of how China & India shared art, faith, and culture centuries ago. 🌏✨ #ChinaIndia pic.twitter.com/KLuY15dDIV
India, on its part, has also been careful with its China narrative. When PM Modi was asked about India's role in the Quad grouping of nations (Australia, India, Japan, and the US)—originally formed as a counterbalance to Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region—he carefully highlighted the significance of the Quad, but also did not mention China.
ALSO READ | ‘Would destroy the US...’: Donald Trump after court rules his sweeping tariffs illegal
“It may be remembered that the Quad first came together as a spontaneous coordination among four democracies in response to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. It started out as a platform to deliver public goods, but over time, it showed what we could achieve together. So, it has steadily evolved into a broader and more ambitious framework of cooperation,” Modi said in an interview with Nikkei Asia.
The strategic omission of any reference to China also signals complications within the Quad, as India's equation with member nation US has hit a new low over the 50 per cent tariff rate imposed on India (due to its purchase of Russian energy), while its relations with China (against which the Quad was originally formed) seem to be developing.
Notably, it was the Trump administration (first term) that revived the Quad in 2017, that has now put the bloc's significance in question during his second term.
PM Modi, who arrived in Japan on Friday for bilateral talks at the India-Japan Summit, will travel to China on Saturday evening. He is expected to hold 1-2 bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Sunday, a PTI report said.
This comes amid global trade tensions sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariffs which have led to non-Western nations strengthening ties.
Modi is also expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit: the first meeting between the two leaders this year. According to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, this comes ahead of Putin's scheduled visit to India in December for the annual India-Russia summit.
"Right after the SCO Plus meeting on September 1, our president will meet Indian Prime Minister Modi. What is especially important is that preparations will be discussed for the upcoming visit of our president to India in December," Ushakov said, highlighting that 2025 marked the 15th anniversary of strategic relations between Moscow and New Delhi.
