External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday dismissed claims that India’s recent outreach to China was driven by US tariff actions. Speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2025, he clarified that India-China ties do not move in reaction to Washington’s policies. “It’s not black and white. It’s not that something has happened with America, so therefore, immediately, something has happened with China… There are different timelines of different lengths on different problems," he explained.

India-China Relations on a Broader Track

Furthermore, Jaishankar stressed that New Delhi and Beijing share a long-term trajectory. According to him, these ties cannot be seen as quick responses to global events.

“I think it would be a mistaken analysis to try and crunch everything and make it into an integrated response to a very specific situation… Today, of course, there is a global landscape… I want you to understand there is an evolution. There’s a flow of that relationship. There are other relationships, but don’t make this connection so tight. That’s not the reality," he noted.

High-Level Engagement with China

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India this week at the invitation of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. During his trip, he co-chaired the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ Dialogue on the Boundary Question with Doval.

In addition, Wang Yi held bilateral talks with Jaishankar and later met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Significantly, these engagements came just weeks before PM Modi’s scheduled visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

Jaishankar Criticises US Tariffs

On the other hand, Jaishankar strongly criticised Washington for what he called “unjustified and unreasonable" tariffs on Indian exports. The Trump administration had recently raised duties above 50 percent in response to India’s Russian oil purchases.

As a result, he made it clear that India will not compromise on protecting its farmers and small producers. “What we are concerned about is that red lines are primarily the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers… We are determined on that. That’s not something we can compromise," he asserted.

India Defends Oil Purchases

Moreover, Jaishankar dismissed the claim that Russian oil imports created an “oil dispute.” He pointed out that larger importers such as China and European nations did not face the same criticism.

“The same criticism levelled at India for purchasing Russian energy had not been applied to larger importers, such as China and European nations," he said.