NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold a bilateral meeting on August 31, 2025, on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. The meeting marks a significant diplomatic moment, as it will be PM Modi’s first visit to China in over seven years and comes amid ongoing efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.
Progress Towards Normalization
The planned meeting follows a period of renewed engagement after bilateral ties nosedived due to the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020. The two leaders last met in October of last year at the BRICS summit, after which a breakthrough was announced in negotiations to resolve the border dispute. Since then, high-level exchanges have gained momentum.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently met with President Xi in China, conveying greetings from PM Modi and apprising him of the latest developments in bilateral ties. The recent visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi further solidified the diplomatic thaw. During his visit, he met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and both sides agreed to resume direct flights, facilitate visas for tourists and businesses, and work towards further de-escalation along the border.
A Full Agenda at the SCO Summit
PM Modi is also expected to hold talks with other key leaders attending the summit, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and various Central Asian leaders. The SCO summit, which China has described as the largest in the bloc’s history, is seen as a key platform for a new type of international relations, with a focus on solidarity and multilateral cooperation.
While the meeting between Modi and Xi is a positive sign for diplomatic relations, analysts believe it is unlikely to lead to any immediate policy breakthroughs. Instead, the focus will be on the optics of the meeting and the potential for new agreements on troop withdrawals and trade facilitation, as both countries navigate a complex geopolitical environment marked by new trade pressures from the Trump administration.