Modi, Xi to meet on SCO Summit sidelines to solidify bilateral relations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday on the sidelines of the SCO Summit during which they will take stock of the implementation of decisions taken at the informal summit just over a month ago in Wuhan.

Modi is expected to hold nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries. However, there is no official word on whether there will be any interaction between Modi and Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain, who is scheduled to attend the meeting in China.

The bilateral meeting with President Xi would take place on June 9, while meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao were being finalised, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing here.

Officials have said Modi and Xi are expected to take stock of implementation of decisions taken at their informal summit in Wuhan.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend the summit.

Modi had last month met Putin in an informal summit in Sochi.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members last year, and are participating as full members for the first time.

Kumar, while talking to reporters after the briefing, said China appreciated Prime Minister Modi's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore last week.

This was conveyed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in South Africa this week, he said.

This was also conveyed by China's Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale in a meeting held here, Kumar said.

In his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Modi said Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each other's interests.