Threatened by Washington with 50% tariffs, India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has responded by turning to its powerful neighbors. The Indian foreign minister is set to visit Russia soon, while the Chinese foreign minister is expected in New Delhi on Monday.

India and China are actively working to mend their strained bilateral relations, signalling a push towards normalising ties and fostering greater stability between the two Asian giants

The aggressive trade policies of President Donald Trump are inadvertently pushing India towards a strategic alignment with China.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will visit India from Monday to Wednesday, China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, for talks about a disputed border in the Himalayas.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said India's purchases of Russian crude were funding Moscow's war in Ukraine and had to stop, adding that New Delhi was "now cozying up to both Russia and China".

A cargo of Indian diesel is heading to China, in what would be first such shipment since 2021, with oil product exports from Russia-linked Nayara Energy in a state of limbo following the latest round of European Union sanctions.

Experts believe this may soften US tariffs on India and strengthen the Indian economy, highlighting India's strategic autonomy amidst increasing Russian oil imports despite Western sanctions.

According to the SIPRI database, some of Pakistan’s major orders in the last five years include the country’s first spy ship, Rizwan; more than 600 VT-4 battle tanks and 36 J-10CE 4.5-generation fighter jets. China sent the first batch of multi-purpose J-10CE fighter jets to the Pakistani Air Force in 2022.