PM Narendra Modi to visit China on August 31 for SCO summit - first visit since 2019
This will be PM Modi's first visit to China after the two neighbouring countries' ties came under severe strain following the 2020 military standoff in Galwan along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The visit will come in the wake of efforts by India and China to improve bilateral ties.
A possible meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is especially anticipated during the summit. The two leaders met last during the BRICS summit in Russia in October 2024.
There is no official word on the visit yet.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last month during a joint press meeting with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev that the SCO Tianjin Summit will be held from 31 August to 1 September, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the SCO member states are expected to attend the summit.
On 15 July, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of a delegation of foreign ministers attending the meeting of the SCO. Jaishankar's visit to China is expected to lay the groundwork for PM Modi's anticipated visit to Beijing for the SCO Leaders' Summit.
"Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties,' Jaishankar said in a post on X, accompanied by a picture of him shaking hands with Xi.
The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff between India and China was the worst border clash in over 40 years, resulting in the death of soldiers on both sides. The incident sharply escalated tensions and brought bilateral ties to a historic low.
The decision to revive the SR dialogue and other dormant channels was reportedly taken during a brief exchange between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan, Russia, in October last year. There have been a few glimmers of positive movement, most notably the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after nearly five years.
In the first leg of his trip, Narendra Modi is expected to visit Japan to hold annual summit talks with his Japanese counterpart.
PM Modi's visit to Japan would be his first since May 2023, when he attended the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, western Japan.
Key Takeaways Modi's visit to China aims to strengthen bilateral ties post-2020 tensions.
The SCO summit serves as a platform for discussing regional security and cooperation.
India's strategic diplomacy includes balancing relations with both China and Russia amidst global pressures.
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