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.
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"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.
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.
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“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.
Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold bilateral meetings 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.
