China's Xi approached PM Modi via secret letter to Murmu after Trump tariffs, claims report

Chinese leader Xi Jinping wrote a ‘secret’ letter to President Droupadi Murmu in March that led to the speeding up of the improvement of the India-China relationship as both the countries faced a common challenge from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

Xi wrote a letter to Murmu, which was passed on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to “test the waters on improving ties”, the report quoted an Indian official familiar with the matter as saying.

Xi in the letter expressed concerns about any deal between India and the United States that could “harm China’s interests and named a provincial official who would steer Beijing’s efforts”, the report said.

In March, Xi did write a letter to Murmu that was reported in the Indian and Chinese media, but it is not clear if the report is referring to the same letter.

Trump has slapped India with 50 per cent tariffs and has also been waged a trade war on China. However, the US-China trade conflict has progressed very differently. Even though Trump initially slapped China with tariffs up to 145 per cent, the United States and China are currently on an extended truce as trade talks progress. Moreover, China appears to have upper hand as there are signs that Trump has blinked because of China’s near monopoly over rare earths’ supplies.

In recent months, India and China have announced a slew of measures that suggest an improvement of relationships. China has opened the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra for pilgrims and India has reopened visas for Chinese tourists. Direct flights between the two countries have also resumed.

India reciprocated to Xi’s outreach in June: Report

It was not until June that India reciprocated to Xi’s outreach in a “serious” manner, according to Bloomberg.

The report said that India’s “serious” efforts to improve relations after Xi’s letter in March came around the time as India-US trade talks turned contentious.

At the time, the India-US relationship had nosedived after Trump falsely claimed credit for ending the India-Pakistan conflict of May and undermined India’s position in Operation Sindoor.

To be sure, though, India and China have been engaged in serious diplomacy for a long time that predates Trump’s tariffs. Last year, India and China reached an understanding to partially resolve the standoff in Ladakh. That deal paved way for the first direct meeting between Modi and Xi.