"Dragon and Elephant should dance together," XI Jinping sends message of partnership to India on Republic Day

New Delhi [India], January 26 (ANI): Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of India's 77th Republic Day.
The Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, in a post shared on X, said, "President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Indian President Droupadi Murmu on India's 77th Republic Day. It should be the right choice for China and India to be good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed, and have the dragon and the elephant dance together."

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Indian President Droupadi Murmu on India's 77th Republic Day.

It should be the right choice for China and India to be good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed, and have the dragon and the elephant… pic.twitter.com/lUgdRJ7iLU

— Xu Feihong (@China_Amb_India) January 26, 2026

The message from Xi Jinping follows the normalisation of relationship between the two neighbours after months of standoff. In October last year, China and India to resumed direct flights.
The commitment toward this was made during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India in August 2025. During his bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, both sides had agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at the earliest and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on facilitating visas for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors in both directions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on August 31, noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation
Earlier this month, on January 14, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, to review the positive momentum in bilateral relations. Sharing details of the meeting on X, the Ministry of External Affairs said both sides discussed ways to further advance ties through enhanced people-to-people exchanges and by addressing concerns on sensitive issues.
On January 13, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale at the RSS headquarters. The meeting lasted for around half an hour. Sources said it was a courtesy call initiated at the request of the CCP delegation and that no formal agenda was discussed.
The CCP delegation also visited the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters, where they met BJP General Secretary Arun Singh and the party's Foreign Affairs Department Convener Vijay Chauthaiwale. Sources described the interaction as part of a routine exchange and clarified that both meetings should not be viewed as formal or policy-level engagements. (ANI)