China sought assistance from India to combat the trade policies of former US President Donald Trump. President Xi Jinping penned a secret letter to Indian President Droupadi Murmu in March 2025, the contents of which have now been revealed. Bloomberg disclosed details of the letter five months later. The letter outlined Jinping’s strategy to fight against the US in the trade war, urging India to join forces.
According to Bloomberg, Jinping’s secret letter to President Murmu in March 2025 detailed a comprehensive plan on how to address Trump’s tariffs. Jinping also expressed the desire to improve relations between the two countries.
The letter mentioned an individual who, according to Jinping, could play a crucial role in the entire agreement. However, Bloomberg did not reveal the identity of this person.
Bloomberg, citing Indian diplomats, reported that China and the US were embroiled in a tariff battle at the time. Jinping did not want to weaken his position in this conflict, so he directly contacted India. He aimed to keep the matter highly confidential. Jinping described the US trade agreements as detrimental to China’s interests. The tariffs between China and the US had reached 250 percent.
The report stated that India did not respond to Jinping’s secret letter until June 2025. India remained silent on the matter. Only after the trade war between the two countries ended did India react to China’s initiative to mend relations.
This led to visits by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval to China, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi.
International analysts noted that Trump made two significant errors. First, he made alleged claims about the India-Pakistan ceasefire, in which Pakistan was said to have stopped the war. India was angered by these claims.
Immediately after, Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on India, damaging the previous relationship between the two nations.
The report indicated that the US lost its oldest ally in South Asia due to Trump’s mistakes. As a result, diplomatic discussions began between India and China, and both countries are now moving towards starting trade.
