Beijing: In a powerful display of “Global South” solidarity, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host a major regional security forum, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where he will welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit, to be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, marks Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to China in more than seven years.
The high-stakes meeting comes at a pivotal time, with all three nations navigating complex geopolitical dynamics. For India and China, the summit provides an important opportunity to further ease tensions that have persisted since the 2020 border clashes in Ladakh. While both sides have engaged in military and diplomatic talks to de-escalate, a full normalization of relations has remained elusive. PM Modi last visited China in 2018 for an informal summit in Wuhan.
Sources from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that PM Modi would participate in the 25th SCO meeting at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. On the sidelines, Modi is expected to hold bilateral discussions with Xi, as well as with other world leaders, including President Putin.
For China, the summit is a chance to showcase its growing influence on the world stage and demonstrate a post-American-led international order. By bringing together leaders from Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, Beijing is aiming to reinforce its narrative of a multi-polar world.
The meeting also provides a vital diplomatic platform for Russia, which has been facing sanctions and diplomatic isolation from many Western countries due to its conflict in Ukraine. President Putin is expected to stay on in China for an unusually long period after the summit to attend a military parade, further cementing the close ties between Beijing and Moscow.
PM Modi’s attendance at the summit is seen as a strategic move to not only engage with China but also to respond to renewed tariff pressures from the Trump administration in the U.S. By aligning more closely with China and Russia in a multilateral forum, India is seeking to assert its strategic autonomy and diversify its diplomatic and economic partnerships.
