Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China on Saturday for his first visit in seven years. During this visit, he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will also participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. This visit comes after the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
Meanwhile, the visit gains significance due to rising tensions with the US. President Donald Trump recently doubled tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% levy on Russian oil. Consequently, India faces economic uncertainty.
Modi flew to Tianjin, the SCO Summit venue, from Japan. Previously, in Tokyo, he and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced several economic initiatives. For instance, they set a target of $68 billion in Japanese private investments over ten years. Additionally, they launched an Economic Security Initiative to counter challenges from US trade policies.
Soon after landing, Modi posted on social media: “Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders.” Furthermore, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the visit “a testament to our constructive and proactive role in SCO.”
Modi and Xi to Discuss Ties
On Sunday afternoon, Modi and Xi will hold talks. They are expected to discuss normalising India-China ties. Moreover, they will focus on active border management to maintain peace. Economic stability amid US trade tensions will also feature in the talks.
This meeting follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to India. During that visit, both sides agreed on an “early harvest” in the disputed border. In addition, they discussed resuming direct flights and boosting trade and investments. The border situation is reported to be “broadly stable.” Both sides also recognise the importance of active management to avoid tensions.
Meanwhile, the resumption of flights depends on the updated air services agreement, which is near finalisation. However, officials clarified that this visit does not signal a pivot from the US toward China and Russia. They also noted that there are no plans for discussions under the Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism.
SCO Interactions and Other Leaders
Modi will attend an SCO reception on Sunday evening. There, he may meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This will be their first interaction since hostilities in May, after India’s Operation Sindoor.
On Monday, Modi will join the SCO Summit. Subsequently, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Putin. They are expected to discuss India-Russia trade and defence cooperation. In addition, they will address US pressure on India regarding Russian oil. Officials confirmed they will also finalise details of Putin’s planned visit to India in December.
SCO’s Stand on Terrorism
India expects the SCO Summit to strongly condemn cross-border terrorism. The bloc was formed in 2001 to counter terrorism, separatism, and extremism. While bilateral issues are not allowed in the charter, India has pushed for clear statements against cross-border terrorism.
Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, said, “As far as the declaration at this summit is concerned, that is under finalisation. We are working with other members and partners to ensure that there is a strong reiteration of the condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.”