After Seven Years Of Hiatus, PM Modi To Meet China's Xi Jinping Today What's On The Platter?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) After a gap of more than seven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in China, where he is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday.

The meeting, set to take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit , has gained added significance due to the ongoing global trade tensions sparked by Washington's tariff policies , which have impacted major economies worldwide.

Modi's China visit is being closely observed, particularly in light of the recent strain in India-US relations, driven by the United States' stance on trade and tariffs.

PM is in the northern Chinese city to participate in the annual SCO summit, which runs from August 31 to September 1.

What's on the agenda?

In the talks, Modi and Xi are expected to take stock of India-China economic ties and deliberate on steps to further normalise relations that came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border row.

"Landed in Tianjin, China. Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders," the prime minister said in a social media post, shortly after arriving here from Japan in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip.

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The prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of other leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

Ahead of his trip to Tianjin, Modi said it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order. In an interview with Japan's The Yomiuri Shimbun, Modi said stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.

“Given the current volatility in the world economy, it is also important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order,” Modi said in the interview published on Friday.

Since joining, India has played an active role, including holding the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023.

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Modi's trip to China comes less than a fortnight after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India. Following Wang's wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the two sides unveiled a series of measures for a "stable, cooperative and forward-looking" relationship between the two sides.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) consists of 10 member countries: India, Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, the SCO includes several observer states and dialogue partners. India became a full member in 2017, after having held observer status since 2005.

In recent months, both nations have made efforts to improve ties, such as resuming trade through key mountain passes: Lipulekh in Uttarakhand, Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh, and Nathu La in Sikkim.

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During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit on August 18–19, both countries agreed to reestablish direct flight services between India and mainland China as soon as possible and to finalise a revised Air Services Agreement. They also discussed easing visa procedures for tourists, businesspeople, journalists, and other travellers.

The prime minister last visited China in June, 2018 to attend the SCO summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India in October 2019 for the second“informal summit”. The eastern Ladakh face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year.

(With inputs from PTI)

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