Tianjin, August 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China on Saturday, marking his first visit to the country in over seven years. The trip carries added weight as it comes against the backdrop of recent strains in India-US relations over Washington’s tariff policies.
Modi is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 and September 1, but the highlight of his visit will be his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to stabilise ties that were severely tested during the eastern Ladakh border row.
In addition to Xi, Modi is also slated to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other world leaders on the margins of the SCO gathering.
Ahead of his arrival, Modi stressed the importance of cooperation between India and China, noting that their partnership could help stabilise the global economy amid heightened volatility. In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan, he said: “A stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relationship between India and China can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.”
Modi’s visit follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s trip to India earlier this month, during which both sides agreed to resume border trade, restart direct flight services, and maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control.
This trip is Modi’s first to China since June 2018, when he attended the SCO summit. Xi Jinping last visited India in October 2019 for the second “informal summit.” Relations soured after the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, but tensions have gradually eased, with disengagement completed at the remaining friction points in Demchok and Depsang by October 2024.