Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to China next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, marking his first visit to the country in over seven years. The trip is seen as a significant step in the ongoing efforts to normalize relations between India and China, which have been strained since the 2020 border clashes in the Himalayas.
SCO Summit: A Platform for Global South Solidarity
Hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the SCO summit is expected to project a sense of unity among the nations of the “Global South.” The meeting will also provide another important diplomatic platform for sanctions-hit Russia and will underline Beijing’s increasing geopolitical influence.
PM Modi’s attendance at the summit, from August 31 to September 1, comes at the invitation of President Xi. According to Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmay Lal, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including a potential high-profile meeting with President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Cautious Détente Between India and China
For India, the visit is a crucial opportunity to build on the recent thaw in ties with China. Analysts believe the meeting could lead to further confidence-building measures, such as additional troop pullbacks from the border, a reduction in trade barriers, and new areas of cooperation. This recent de-escalation is a key priority for the Modi government.
Experts note that this rapprochement has been accelerated by the unpredictable global geopolitical landscape, particularly the new tariff pressures from the Trump administration on both India and China. As one analyst stated, President Xi will likely use the summit to showcase a “post-American-led international order” where efforts by the White House to counter countries like China, Iran, Russia, and now India, have not had their intended effect.
China’s Deepening Ties with Russia
As the SCO summit approaches, China has reiterated the strength of its partnership with Russia. Chinese state media reported that President Xi Jinping described the relationship as the “most stable, mature and strategically significant” among major world powers. During a meeting with the chairman of Russia’s Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, Xi hailed the two countries’ cooperation as a “stable source of world peace” and called for them to “unite the Global South” and uphold multilateralism. This deepening relationship has been a point of concern for many of Ukraine’s allies, as China has never condemned Russia’s invasion.
The SCO, which was founded in 2001, has expanded to 10 member states and aims to counter the “three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism.” It is seen as a platform for strengthening cooperation in various sectors, from security and trade to technology and culture. India, which became a full member in 2017, has been an active participant and has previously held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.