The Ministry of External Affairs said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Tianjin in China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, is likely to hold bilateral talks as well. PM Modi is visiting Tianjin at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmay Lal, hinted that bilateral talks are also on cards with China and other countries including Russia. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on an official visit to India from August 18-19, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over a message and an invitation from President Xi Jinping for the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China.
Modi’s China Visit
This will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first China visit in the last seven years. The Prime Minister is expected to hold some bilateral meetings during the Summit’s sidelines. Addressing a special press briefing ahead of PM Modi’s visits to Japan and China, the MEA official said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tianjin, China, for the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Council, the SCO, on August 31 and September 1, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping of China.”
Modi In SCO Summit
Emphasising the core objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — tackling the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism, and extremism — Lal noted that the grouping also offers a much wider scope of cooperation across multiple sectors. He highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent engagement with the organisation, recalling his participation in past SCO summits: Chengdao in 2018, Bishkek in 2019, Moscow (virtual) in 2020, Dushanbe (virtual) in 2021, Tashkent in 2022, and the New Delhi (virtual) summit in 2023.
Lal further pointed out that India’s priorities have been clearly reflected in the agenda of the 23rd SCO Summit, chaired by Prime Minister Modi. The theme was a move towards a “SECURE SCO,” where SECURE stood for Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment.
Groundwork For the SCO Summit
The MEA official highlighted how in recent months, India has participated at several ministerial-level, senior-level, ongoing processes of SCO, which included meetings where the Indian delegation was led by the National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in their relevant SCO formats. The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are a number of dialogue partners and observers also. India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, while earlier it was an observer since 2005. During the period of its membership, India has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and of the SCO Council of Heads of State during 2022-2023.
Xi Backs ‘Stable Ties’ With Russia
Amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff threat and pressure on India and Russia, China has backed its ties with Moscow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday described Beijing’s relationship with Moscow as the “most stable, mature and strategically important” among major global powers, according to a report by Reuters. In a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s State Duma, Xi praised the partnership between the two nations, calling it a “steady force for global peace,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. “Xi reportedly told Volodin that China and Russia should work together to safeguard the security and development interests of both countries, unite the Global South, uphold true multilateralism, and promote the international order towards greater fairness and justice.
