Tianjin, Aug 31: India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two leaders held wide-ranging talks to reset the bilateral relations.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi said the welfare of 2.8 billion people is linked to bilateral cooperation between India and China.

The prime minister noted that there is peace and stability along the border following last year’s disengagement process, adding that direct flights between the two countries are being resumed.

The prime minister also made a mention of the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

There was consent between our Special Representatives on border management, he said.

India and China have a framework called the Special Representatives on the boundary question to address issues relating to the border.

“We are committed to take forward our cooperation based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity,” Modi said.

The prime minister also congratulated Xi on China’s successful presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Modi landed in China on Saturday on a two-day visit that came after a gap of seven years. He is in China to attend the SCO summit.

Tianjin, Aug 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday held bilateral talks against the backdrop of Washington’s tariff tussle that has impacted almost all leading economies across the world.

Modi landed in China on Saturday on a two-day visit that came after a gap of seven years.

In the talks, the two leaders are expected to take stock of India-China economic ties and deliberate on steps to further normalise relations that came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border row.

Modi is in China primarily to attend the two-day annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) beginning Sunday.

However, his meeting with Xi assumed greater significance in the face of strain in ties between India and the US following the Trump administration’s policies on trade and tariff.

Ahead of his trip to Tianjin, Modi said it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order.

In an interview with Japan’s The Yomiuri Shimbun, Modi said a stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.

“Given the current volatility in world economy, it is also important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order,” Modi said in the interview published on Friday.

Modi’s trip to China comes less than a fortnight after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India.

Following Wang’s wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the two sides unveiled a series of measures for a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship between the two sides.

The measures included joint maintenance of peace along the contested frontier, reopening border trade and resuming direct flight services at the earliest.

In the last few months, both sides have initiated a series of measures to reset their ties that came under severe strain following the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

Washington, Aug 31: The White House is moving ahead with plans to rebrand the Pentagon, confirming that the Department of Defence will be renamed the Department of War, according to multiple local media reports.

The Department of War, originally established by Congress in August 1789, was tasked with overseeing the nation’s military operations and maintaining its armed forces.

Following World War II, it was briefly renamed the National Military Establishment before adopting its current title, the Department of Defence.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News that the change is part of a broader effort to restore what the administration sees as traditional military priorities.

“As President Trump said, our military should be focused on offence — not just defence — which is why he has prioritised warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology,” Kelly said in a written statement.

The confirmation comes just days after President Trump signaled the move during remarks at the White House.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump had said the change could take effect “over the next week or so.”

At the event, he stated, “You know, we call it the Department of Defence, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name. You want to know the truth, I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon,” he said.

The President highlighted the symbolic weight of the original name, noting its association with past US military triumphs.

“We won World War I (and) World War II. It was called the Department of War. To me, that’s really what it is,” Trump said.

“I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was the Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defence,” he added.

The 1947 National Security Act had restructured the original War Department into the National Military Establishment, bringing the Army, Navy, and the newly created Air Force under one roof.

A subsequent 1949 amendment formally introduced the Department of Defence, creating the modern structure that exists today.

President Trump, alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been working to reshape the Pentagon’s image into one that emphasises greater aggression.

Their approach has included the removal of top military officials seen as being at odds with the administration’s vision.