PM Modi, Xi Bilateral Likely During PM's First Visit To China
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) later this week, as reported on 28 August.
Modi will be in China from 31 August to 1 September to attend the SCO summit in Tianjin. Reports indicate that the meeting between Modi and Xi is likely to take place on 31 August.
President Xi Jinping will host over 20 world leaders at the SCO gathering, which many view as a significant demonstration of solidarity among Global South nations amid Trump’s tariff impositions on various countries.
This trip will mark Prime Minister Modi's first visit to China in more than seven years. The two countries are working together to ease tensions that have been strained by the deadly border clashes in Galwan back in 2020.
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In July, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Xi Jinping in China, marking his inaugural trip since relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2020.
The Galwan Valley standoff in 2020 was the most severe border confrontation in more than 40 years, leading to casualties on both sides and significantly escalating tensions, bringing bilateral relations to a historic low.
Jaishankar’s visit on 15 July came after those of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who both traveled to China in June for the SCO discussions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, has been invited to the SCO summit scheduled to take place in Tianjin from 31 August to 1 September.
Indian foreign ministry official Tanmaya Lal informed the press that India's primary interests at the summit encompass trade, connectivity, respect for sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
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The recent thaw in India-China relations following more than five years of escalated border tensions and renewed tariff pressures from the United States has fueled optimism for a constructive meeting between Xi and Modi on the summit's sidelines.