על רקע הלחצים ממדינות המערב, סין והודו מהדקות את יחסיהן

Top leaders from China and India are holding their first talks in seven years. The neighbors have a long record of historic border disputes, among other issues. But they are standing closer today. That's as both face increasing Western scrutiny over their ties to Russia, on top of tariff hikes from Washington. NDD's Flora Hua has more. India's Prime Minister Modi is in China. He held a bilateral meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping earlier today. He is here in China's major port city, Tianjin, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's regional security summit. He skipped the meeting last year. Xi told Modi that China and India should be friends instead of rivals, adding the border issue shouldn't define the bilateral relations between the two countries. And Modi said India was committed to improve their ties, quote, The nuclear-armed Asian countries share a 2,400-mile-long border. Their shared border disputes trace back in the 1950s. Five years ago, troops from the two countries had their first deadly military confrontation in decades over border disputes. At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed. Beyond border issues, the construction of a giant Chinese dam in Tibet is underway. Experts say the hydropower facility could impact downstream countries' access to water, including India. So what's pushing Modi to get closer to China? Analysts say the reason could lie in the increasing Western pressures on India over its Russian oil purchase. On top of that, India is facing a 50 percent U.S. tariff. At the same time, India's decision to improve ties with China is raising concerns across the West. Back to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the body is led by Russia and China. It's widely seen as an anti-West alliance designed to challenge the U.S.-led world order. Flora Hua, NTD News.