NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday discussed border peace, trade issues and bilateral exchanges, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The foreign ministers of India and China have met in New Delhi in a renewed effort by the nuclear-armed Asian rivals to ease tensions after a five-year border standoff.

New Delhi’s frayed ties with Washington have added to a thaw in the frosty relationship with Beijing that began last year.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Russia, which comes as US President Donald Trump has levied a 25 per cent tariff on New Delhi for importing Russian crude. However,

India and China share a complicated relationship. The world’s two most populous nations are outright regional rivals who fought a border war in the 1960s. Relations have been at a low point since border clashes in 2020 left soldiers dead on both sides.

New Delhi has been trying to rebuild ties with Beijing, while continuing its close energy and defense partnership with Russia, amid steep US tariffs on Indian goods.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed "steady progress" in relations with China after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

India and China have agreed to resume direct flights for the first time in more than five years, marking a significant step toward mending diplomatic ties and restoring travel links disrupted by the pandemic and a deadly border clash.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “friend” while his government moved to bolster relations with China, another sign the South Asian nation is tilting away from the US in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

China — often characterized by White House officials as the arch-rival of the U.S. in trade — has been among the countries most negatively affected by Trump’s mercurial barrage of tariffs. India is currently suffering severe penalties imposed by the Trump administration due to its continued purchasing of oil from Russia.

China has removed export restrictions on rare earth magnets bound for India, Indian media reported on Tuesday, in a calculated move timed with a diplomatic visit to New Delhi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

In a move to bolster bilateral relations, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held a high-level meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Saturday.