Modi to meet Xi on SCO Summit sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Qingdao, the External Affairs Ministry said today.

The meeting would come over a month after the two leaders held an informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April during which they exchanged views on solidifying the relations between the two Asian powers.

Modi will be participating in the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, being held under the chairmanship of President Xi, on June 9 and 10, in Qingdao, Shandong province, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Among other issues, the summit is expected to focus on opportunities for cooperation among SCO members and the situation in the region.

The prime minister's programme includes participation in the welcome banquet hosted by the Chinese president on the evening of June 9. The main day of the SCO summit is June 10, Kumar said.

Modi will attend the SCO heads of states meeting in both the restricted as well as the extended formats, he said, adding that bilateral meetings of the prime minister were also planned on the sidelines of the Summit.

Bilateral meeting with President Xi would take place on June 9, while other meetings were being finalised, he said.