Can China and India Truly Be Friends? With Dr Pradeep Taneja, University of Melbourne

After nearly five years of tension, China-India relations have thawed significantly in 2025, with increased interactions between the two sides over the past year.  Amid the backdrop of Trump’s tariffs, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Shanghai in August, where he highlighted the importance of closer ties between the two giants

Looking ahead, what are the prospects for China and India’s ability to deepen their ties across realms like trade and technology, while managing longstanding border tensions?

In this episode of East Asia Pulse, EAI Deputy Director Dr Chen Gang speaks with Dr Pradeep Taneja, Senior Lecturer in Asian Politics, Political Economy, and International Relations at the University of Melbourne. They explore the current state of India-China relations and how the evolution of economic reforms in both countries has shaped their growth models, strategic choices, and prospects for cooperation and competition.

Key Highlights:

00:00 China-India relations in the last five years and the drivers shaping them

06:40 Similarities and differences in the reform paths of China and India

14:09 How a realistic economic relationship between China and India can be forged in areas of trade, investment and technology amid “de-risking”

19:54: What China and India can learn from each other to build strong domestic industries while reducing external reliance

22:38 Practical steps that can help to stabilise China-India ties

East Asia Pulse is a podcast produced by the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It provides in-depth analyses of political, economic and strategic trends in East Asia.

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