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New Delhi — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to Tianjin, China, this week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, his first visit to the country in more than seven years. The high-level conference, scheduled for August 31 and September 1, will be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and is expected to bring together over 20 world leaders.
According to a statement by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the visit holds significant importance for India, particularly as it is the first since the 2020 border hostilities in the Galwan Valley. This follows PM Modi’s last meeting with President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, last year.
Strengthening Bilateral and Regional Ties
This year’s gathering is being promoted by China as the largest SCO summit since the bloc’s inception in 2001. During the event, President Xi is expected to personally greet both PM Modi and President Putin.
For New Delhi, the visit is a crucial opportunity to build on recent border de-escalation efforts. Analysts anticipate that PM Modi and President Xi will discuss measures to improve relations, potentially including troop pullbacks, relaxed visa requirements, and increased cooperation on trade and climate.
Symbolism and Geopolitical Context
Experts view the Tianjin conference as a powerful display of “Global South” unity and a significant moment for projecting a new international order. The summit is seen as a way for China to demonstrate that attempts to counter the influence of China, Russia, Iran, and India have not had the desired effect. For Russia, the summit provides a key diplomatic platform amidst ongoing Western sanctions.
While the SCO provides a forum for dialogue, it continues to face internal challenges. The recent defense ministers’ conference failed to produce a common communiqué, and member nations have demonstrated a lack of consensus on certain international issues. Despite these challenges, the summit aims to consolidate cooperation and promote the shared interests of its members. Following his participation in the SCO Summit, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Japan for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.
