Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping around noon on Sunday, August 31, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, located about 120 km from Beijing.

The meeting comes as India and China slowly work to rebuild ties after a five-year military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Officials see this as part of a gradual process aimed at boosting bilateral relations.

Recent interactions between the two leaders

This will be Modi and Xi’s second meeting in less than a year. Their last interaction took place in October 2024 at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

Diplomatic sources suggest the leaders may approve a calendar of joint activities to mark 75 years of India-China relations. Officials from both sides were still finalising details on Saturday.

Modi’s first China visit in seven years

Modi arrived in Tianjin from Japan, making his first trip to China in more than seven years. He is attending the SCO summit scheduled from August 31 to September 1.

Posting on X, he wrote: “Landed in Tianjin, China. Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders.” His remarks highlighted that the multilateral summit is the key focus of his visit.

Indian officials have also underlined that this meeting with Xi should not be seen as a stand-alone bilateral engagement. Instead, they have framed it as a standard interaction between the host and a visiting leader at a multilateral gathering.

Complicated backdrop of global developments

The meeting takes place amid new challenges in India’s ties with the United States. Tensions have grown after US President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods and criticised New Delhi over its import of Russian oil.

In this context, Indian diplomats believe the visit could provide an opportunity to stabilise relations with Beijing while navigating a shifting global environment.

Border talks and military statements

Just days before the summit, the Chinese military issued a statement saying both nations should work together to “safeguard peace and tranquility” along the border. It referred to the latest round of border talks as “positive” and “constructive,” noting that both sides reached a 10-point consensus.

On August 19, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in New Delhi for the 24th round of Special Representative-level talks on the India-China boundary question. Their discussions laid some groundwork ahead of Modi’s meeting with Xi.