Modi, Xi may hold bilateral talks this weekend
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during his upcoming visit to China, per multiple reports. This will be PM Modi's first visit to the country in over seven years. The meeting is expected to take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.
Summit agenda
India's focus areas at the summit
The summit comes amid efforts by India and China to ease tensions after border clashes in 2020. India's key focus areas at the summit will be trade, connectivity, and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, foreign ministry official Tanmaya Lal was quoted as saying by Reuters. Analysts also expect India and China to announce more border measures, such as army withdrawals, trade and visa easing, collaboration in new areas such as climate, and increased government and people-to-people engagement.
Expanded bloc
Largest-ever SCO summit
The SCO summit will be the largest since the bloc's inception in 2001, with over 20 world leaders attending. The gathering is seen as a show of Global South solidarity amid US President Donald Trump's disruptive trade policies. The SCO has expanded from six Eurasian states to 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue or observer nations, focusing on economic and military cooperation beyond security.
Previous encounter
Last meeting of Modi and Xi
The last time Modi and Xi shared a stage was at a BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. Apart from Modi and Putin, leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia have been invited. "Xi will want to use the summit...to showcase what a post-American-led international order begins to look like and that all White House efforts...to counter China...Russia, and now India have not had the intended effect," said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project.