New Delhi’s frayed ties with Washington have added to a thaw in the frosty relationship with Beijing that began last year.

The rebuilding of India-China ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after United States President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India for continuing to buy Russian oil, which the US says is fuelling Moscow’s war machine.

US-imposed tariffs may be driving two Asian powerhouses closer as India and China prepare to launch a new chapter in trade relations. A crucial step forward in trade ties came on August 19, when China removed export curbs on fertilizers,

Their relationship is defined by a bloody border dispute, a vast power imbalance and a fierce contest for influence across Asia. Yet, President Donald Trump’s latest trade war may be achieving the unthinkable: pushing India and China into a wary but tactical embrace.

India and China are aware of the “very high political, economic and military cost of frozen relations,” he says. “China felt it had pushed India too close to the U.S. while India realized that it was losing its vaunted strategic autonomy by getting too close to Washington and turning Beijing into an adversary.”

When companies realized they needed to diversify away from China, India was the natural choice. Now, U.S. tariffs threaten that.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met China’s top diplomat on Tuesday and hailed the “steady progress” made in improving the bilateral relationship after a yearslong standoff between the nuclear-armed Asian powers.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda.