The Prime Minister’s trip underscores India’s bid to balance ties with Beijing and Moscow, while navigating economic headwinds from Washington. Background: Why This Visit Matters Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to China for the first time in seven years, a visit that comes at a delicate moment in global politics. The last major engagement between the two Asian giants was the 2018 informal summit in Wuhan, which sought to stabilise ties after the Doklam standoff. Since then, relations have sharply deteriorated following the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, which left soldiers dead on both sides and plunged bilateral trust to its lowest point in decades. Talks on border disengagement have dragged on, while trade ties have paradoxically expanded despite political hostility. This visit, therefore, is more than a diplomatic formality. It signals New Delhi’s intent to recalibrate its foreign policy amidst rising economic challengess most notably, the imposition of 50% tari...