India, Sept. 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, the venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marked a consolidation of efforts to normalise bilateral relations since the end of the face-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last year. There were few expectations of major breakthroughs at the meeting, which allowed the leaders to review progress made after the two sides agreed last October to withdraw forces from several friction points on the disputed border in Ladakh. With the Special Representatives agreeing earlier this month on measures such as an "early harvest" in boundary delimitation, the two leaders committed themselves to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the border issue. The Chinese side, along stated lines, said the boundary question should not define the overall relationship, but Modi insisted peace and tranquillity on the border is key to continued development of bilateral ties. It was no surprise that the uncertainty in the global economy due to the US's trade policies administration cast its shadow over the meeting - Xi pointedly referred to the "fluid and chaotic" situation on the global stage while suggesting India and China, as key members of the Global South, should uphold multilateralism and defend international fairness. While there was acknowledgement of the role of the two economies in stabilising world trade, the Indian side said bilateral ties should not be seen through the prism of a third country - another sign of the delicate balancing New Delhi has had to do while rebuilding relations with Beijing at a time of unprecedented strain in its ties with Washington. Besides the bilateral meeting, the two leaders will participate in the SCO summit on Monday to take forward regional cooperation and address security challenges. A pragmatic approach towards rebuilding of ties with China will serve India well, but more will need to be done to address the trust deficit that has plagued bilateral relations in recent years. The process of de-escalation is yet to be completed, almost a year after the disengagement of forces, and questions remain about buffer zones created at friction points. More recently, Indian officials have pointed to China's military and other support to Pakistan during the hostilities in May. Modi's comments on advancing relations based on mutual trust and mutual sensitivity have to be seen in this light, as also the call for expanding common ground on challenges such as terrorism....