India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in China this weekend with the sting of Donald Trump's US tariffs still top of mind.
Since Wednesday, tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, like diamonds and shrimp, now stand at 50% – which the US president says is punishment for Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
Experts say the levies threaten to leave lasting bruises on India's vibrant export sector, and its ambitious growth targets.
China's Xi Jinping too is trying to revive a sluggish Chinese economy at a time when sky-high US tariffs threaten to derail his plans.
Against this backdrop, the leaders of the world's two most populous countries may both be looking for a reset in their relationship, which has previously been marked by mistrust, a large part of it driven by border disputes.
Put simply, what happens in this relationship matters to the rest of the world, Chietigj Bajpaee and Yu Jie of Chatham House wrote in a recent editorial.
India was never going to be the bulwark against China that the West (and the United States in particular) thought it was... Modi's China visit marks a potential turning point.
India and China are economic powerhouses – the world's fifth and second largest respectively.
But with India's growth expected to remain above 6%, a $4 trillion economy, and $5 trillion stock market, it is on the way to moving up to third place by 2028, according to the IMF.
China and India can work together to reshape global trade flows, especially as both seek to reduce their reliance on the US amid rising tensions.
However, there still remain unresolved territorial disputes and other political rifts, making a complete reconciliation complex. As Modi visits China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, there are expectations for economic deals and dialogue to ease tensions, possibly leading to more robust cooperation in the future.
