00:00One year ago, this headline would have been weird.
00:06Chinese Foreign Minister Wong Yi touches down in Delhi.
00:09After all, India and China have spent the last few years in hostility.
00:13Soldiers deployed along the border, flights suspended, apps banned,
00:16visas not issued, investments under scrutiny.
00:19The tension was palpable.
00:22Multiple rounds of border talks did not yield a thaw.
00:26But thanks to Donald Trump, there's a realignment.
00:28He may not have planned it, but his trade war has pushed India and China to try to work together.
00:37And now Wong Yi is in New Delhi.
00:38This evening, he met India's External Affairs Minister S.J. Shankar.
00:42Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, Excellency,
00:47our two nations now seek to move ahead.
00:51This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides.
00:55In that endeavour, we must be guided by the three mutuals.
00:59Mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
01:04Differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict.
01:08Differences between the two countries should not become disputes, competition must not become conflict.
01:15Those are the Indian Foreign Minister's words.
01:17He said the India-China relationship must be guided by three mutuals.
01:21Mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
01:26Wong Yi also emphasised on the need for peace and better ties.
01:29We maintained peace and tranquility in the border areas and resumed Indian pilgrimage.
01:36We should firm up confidence to dispel interference, expand cooperation,
01:40and to further consolidate the momentum of improvement and development of China-India relations,
01:45so that while pursuing our respective rejuvenation, we can contribute to each other's success.
01:50Tomorrow, Wong Yi will meet National Security Advisor Rajit Doval.
02:00He will also call on Prime Minister Modi, so it is quite the packed schedule.
02:04Things are moving very fast, and like I said, two words explain this detente.
02:08Trump's tariffs.
02:10Donald Trump wanted to strong-arm New Delhi.
02:12First, he imposed 25% tariffs on India, then he doubled it to 50%,
02:16adding an extra 25% penalty for buying Russian oil.
02:19But here's the twist.
02:22Instead of isolating India or China, Trump managed to create a shared grievance.
02:27Both India and China have a Trump problem now.
02:30They are in the same corner of the global trade classroom, facing the same bully.
02:37And this set the stage for an unlikely thaw.
02:40Direct flights between New Delhi and Beijing are set to resume.
02:43Reports say airlines have been asked to prepare.
02:45Then we have visas.
02:46India has restarted tourist visas for Chinese nationals.
02:49Beijing is doing the same.
02:51The third part is fertilizers.
02:53China eased restrictions on urea exports, which is a lifeline for India's farm economy.
02:58Fourth, the Kailash Mansarovariyatra.
03:00China is allowing Indian pilgrims to visit again.
03:04Now, these may all look like small gestures, but together they tell a bigger story.
03:08The timing of Wang Yi's visit is no accident.
03:13On the 31st of August, the 31st of this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Tianjin.
03:20This is for the SCO Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.
03:24It will be Prime Minister Modi's first trip to China in seven years.
03:29And Xi Jinping will be there.
03:30So, if Wang Yi's trip is about laying the tracks, Prime Minister Modi's will be about driving the train forward.
03:37Is this a complete reset?
03:39The answer is no.
03:40This is not a rekindled love story.
03:43This is alignment based on interests.
03:45You see, China's relationship with Pakistan is a fact of life.
03:49Plus, troops still remain at the border on either side.
03:52So, think of it less as reconciliation and more of a tactical pause,
03:56where both sides are hedging, not hugging.
03:58But here's the biggest irony.
04:00Donald Trump wanted to isolate China.
04:02He wanted to discipline India.
04:04Instead, he has forced them into the same tent.
04:07Call it accidental statecraft or the law of unintended consequences.
04:12Here's something Trump might even claim credit for.
04:17For bringing Beijing and New Delhi together.
04:21So, as they say, in geopolitics, today's rival can be tomorrow's partner
04:25and yesterday's four can be today's friend.
04:27What truly endures are interests.
04:31For now, India and China share three.
04:33Steady trade, quiet borders and some distance from Washington's grip.
04:39How long the truth lasts is anyone's guess.
04:42But for now, the dragon and the elephant have found a reason to march in step.
04:57It's this idea.
04:59So, go todollarantly, again.
05:08See you next time.
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