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4 months ago
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On his first China visit in 7 years, PM Modi will meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Tianjin as India looks to reset ties. With strained India-US trade ties and volatile global markets, PM Modi’s talks with Xi and Putin are expected to shape India’s next big diplomatic moves.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, in what is being seen as a crucial moment for India-China ties and broader regional diplomacy.
This marks Modi’s first trip to China in more than seven years and comes at a time of strained India-US trade relations triggered by Washington’s tariff policies.
Why is Modi’s China visit significant now?
While Modi is primarily in Tianjin to join the annual SCO Summit from 31 August to 1 September, his scheduled bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday have drawn particular attention.
The two leaders are expected to review India-China economic ties and explore ways to stabilise relations, which were severely tested by the eastern Ladakh border stand-off.
“Given the current volatility in 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.”
What will Modi discuss with Xi and Putin?
Apart from his talks with Xi Jinping, the prime minister will also hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the SCO summit, as well as interactions with other regional leaders.
With geopolitical fault lines deepening and global trade facing uncertainty, New Delhi is expected to push for:
- Strengthening economic engagement with China
- Ensuring peace along the disputed border
- Expanding energy and defence cooperation with Russia
- Supporting multipolarity in global governance
How are India-China ties being reset?
In recent months, India and China have cautiously moved to reset ties. Last month’s visit to New Delhi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paved the way for measures aimed at a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship.
Agreements included:
- Maintaining peace along the contested frontier
- Reopening border trade routes
- Resuming direct flight services between the two countries
These steps follow the formal disengagement process at Demchok and Depsang, which brought the eastern Ladakh stand-off to a close in October last year.
When did Modi last visit China?
The prime minister’s previous trip to China was in June 2018 for the SCO Summit, while President Xi last visited India in October 2019 for the second informal summit. Relations, however, plunged after the Galwan Valley clashes of June 2020, making the current visit a high-stakes diplomatic engagement.
Why does the SCO summit matter?
With the US-India, and US-China Donald Trump imposed tariff tussle roiling global markets and Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine, redefining power blocs, the SCO Summit offers India an opportunity to recalibrate ties with both Beijing and Moscow while reinforcing its strategic autonomy.
English (US) ·