Did Xi’s letter to Murmu improve bilateral ties?

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu in March which could have played a role in speeding up the improvement of India-China ties as both countries faced a common challenge from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a news agency has reported.

Xi’s letter was later passed on to PM Narendra Modi, the agency said, citing an unnamed Indian official.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not give a response to the news report but cited a social media post by China’s ambassador to Xu Feihong on April 1 on the contents of the letter written by Xi.

The post had quoted Xi and said, “The development of China-India relations demonstrates that it is the right choice for both sides to become partners for mutual success and realise a cooperative pas de deux (a dance for two people ) of the dragon and the elephant, which completely serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples”.

Xi had said both sides should view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. He also spoke about jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in China-India border regions, advance China-India relations on the track of sound and stable development, so as to contribute to world peace and prosperity.