Amid strained US ties, PM Modi begins four-day visit to Japan, China

Prime Minister Modi is visiting Japan and China to strengthen economic and tech partnerships, attend the SCO Summit, and hold talks with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on a four-day visit on Thursday evening to Japan and China, his first to the latter country in seven years, to seek investments and reset ties amid strained India-US relations over the White House imposing tariffs on Indian goods.

 

In his departure statement, the PM said that during his visit to Tokyo for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, the endeavour will be “to give new wings” to the India-Japan collaboration, expand scope and ambition of economic and investment ties, and advance cooperation in new and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.

 

From Japan, the PM will travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

 

 

In Tianjin, the PM is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday afternoon and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The PM said he is looking forward to meeting President Xi, President Putin and other leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

 

“I am confident that my visits to Japan and China would further our national interests and priorities, and contribute to building fruitful cooperation in advancing regional and global peace, security, and sustainable development,” the PM said.

 

The PM will be in Japan on August 29 and 30, meeting business leaders to talk about his government’s ‘make in India, make for the world’ initiative and the role that Japanese corporations could play in it.

 

India is keen to attract Japanese investments and joint ventures for its small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and greater cooperation among Japan’s prefectures and India’s state governments. Modi will meet the governors of prefectures on Saturday.

 

The outcomes of the PM’s visit to Japan could include more robust cooperation between the two countries in semiconductors, AI, critical minerals, and infrastructure projects, especially construction of more high speed rail corridors. 

 

Japan is expected to pledge doubling its investments in India from 5 trillion yen, or $34 billion, to 10 trillion yen, or $68 billion. On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the PM’s visit to Tokyo will be an opportunity to launch several new initiatives to build greater resilience in the relationship, and to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges.

 

In China, the Modi-Xi talks could lead to announcement of further de-escalation on the border, resuming of direct flights after a gap of five years and the easing of trade barriers. The Chinese side, during the visit of its foreign minister Wang Yi to New Delhi, had agreed to look into India’s concerns on the supply of fertilisers, tunnel boring machines and rare earth elements. India is considering easing investment rules that it had placed on Chinese companies.

 

On Thursday, China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, posted on social media that trade between China and other SCO members increased from 100 billion yuan in 2011 to 3.65 trillion yuan in 2024. He said in the first seven months of 2025, China’s trade with the SCO member states reached 2.11 trillion yuan, up three per cent year on year, “a record high”.