After Wuhan summit China, India mark a new beginning

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Since the informal meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, ties between the two nations have undergone a sea of change. Let's revisit the steps taken by both countries to improve the relationship.

The standoff at the border in 2017 is now buried in history.

Just a year and a half later, the two armies are competing not at the border but on the dance floor.

Soldiers of the two armies shared a lighter moment during the Sino-India joint military exercise, which is currently underway in Chengdu.

It all started in April of this year, when President Xi met Indian PM Modi for an informal summit in Wuhan.

The two leaders decided to reset bilateral relations and begin a new chapter.

Since then, both sides have moved swiftly to establish trust and deepen cooperation.

In October, New Delhi and Beijing launched a joint program to train Afghan diplomats.

Last month, State Councillor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held discussions with India's national security advisor Ajit Doval in Chengdu over the border question.

The meeting was the 21st round of ongoing negotiations. Pending a final resolution, the two special representatives agreed to maintain peace at the 4000-km long border.

President Xi again met PM Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina where they observed "perceptible improvement" in ties.

Earlier this month, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou held official talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale in New Delhi to review progress since the Wuhan summit.

Despite a Western campaign to block Chinese tech giant Huawei, India recently invited the company to participate in its 5G trials, a clear sign of the goodwill between the two nations.

Though there are many challenges, like the border dispute and India's concerns over the China-Pakistan economic corridor, the world's two most populous nations have vowed to move ahead.

State Councillor Wang Yi said in March that "The dragon and the elephant should not fight but dance together".

Nine months on, the dance of friendship is well underway.