PM Modi meets Chinese Prez Xi on sidelines of SCO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan.

"First bilateral meeting of the day. PM @narendramodi holds talks with President Xi of China," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokespersonVikas Swarup.

Prime Minister Modi's meeting with the Chinese President assumes significance in the backdrop of India's attempts to get the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

China had earlier on Wednesday again change track on India's entry into the elite club, saying only applications of those countries that signed an atomic Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) will be considered.

The Prime Minister arrived in Tashkent earlier this afternoon to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

During his two-day visit, Prime Minister Modi will also hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov on the sidelines of the summit.

India will sign a memorandum of obligations, paving the way for it become a full-fledged SCO member of the Organisation.

The membership will provide India an opportunity to have extended cooperation with members of the group including China and Pakistan.

Secretary (West) in External Affairs Ministry, Sujata Mehta, said on Wednesday that India is keen to deepen its security ­related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti ­Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with security and defence issues.

The decision to become a member of the SCO was taken last year following Prime Minister's outreach during the BRICS summit.