PM Modi to attend SCO summit in China, first visit after 2020 Galwan clash

PM Modi will visit China for the SCO summit on August 31. He may meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Before that, he will go to Japan for talks with PM Fumio Kishida

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit China's Tianjin city for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31.

 

This will mark PM Modi's first trip to China since relations between the two nations soured following the 2020 military standoff in Galwan, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

 

The visit comes as both New Delhi and Beijing continue efforts to ease tensions and restore normalcy in their bilateral relationship. If PM Modi attends the SCO summit, a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is also likely. The two leaders last interacted at the Brics summit in Kazan, where they agreed to initiate steps to stabilise diplomatic ties.

 

PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other SCO leaders on the sidelines, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. This would be their first interaction since the Kazan summit.

India-Japan Summit ahead of SCO

Before heading to China, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Japan on August 30 for the annual India-Japan Summit, where he will meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to a report by India Today.

 

PM Modi’s diplomatic engagements come amid criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has targeted Brics nations for buying oil from Russia and for allegedly challenging the global dominance of the US dollar.

Firm on terror, open to talks

 

Earlier in June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China. However, he refused to sign a document that could have softened India’s stance on terrorism, particularly following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. As member nations failed to reach a consensus on terrorism, the SCO did not issue a joint statement. 

In July, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his maiden visit to China since the diplomatic strain began in 2020. He was joined by foreign ministers from other SCO member countries during the meeting with Xi.

 

Jaishankar also held separate talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing, where he underscored the need for continued dialogue between the two countries. As close neighbours and major global economies, open communication between India and China remains crucial, the EAM had noted.