After 7-year gap, PM Modi lands in China; crucial talks with Xi Jinping on Sunday
PTC Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China on Saturday, marking his first visit to the country in over seven years. The trip, closely watched by the international community, comes at a time of heightened global economic uncertainty and a recent downturn in India-US relations triggered by Washington’s tariff policies.
Modi is visiting China primarily to participate in the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, scheduled for August 31 and September 1. However, his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday has drawn particular attention as the two leaders are expected to review bilateral ties and explore avenues to strengthen cooperation.
The discussions are anticipated to cover economic relations, regional stability, and measures to sustain the gradual normalization of ties, which had been severely strained following the eastern Ladakh border standoff. Both nations have recently undertaken confidence-building steps, including the reopening of border trade, resumption of direct flights, and agreements for maintaining peace along contested frontiers.
Before reaching Tianjin, Modi travelled from Japan, completing the second leg of his two-nation tour. On the sidelines of the SCO summit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.
In an interview with Japanese daily The Yomiuri Shimbun, published Friday, Modi underlined the importance of India-China cooperation in stabilising the global economy. “Given the current volatility in the world economy, it is important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order,” he said. He also emphasized that stable and amicable ties between New Delhi and Beijing could have a positive impact on regional and global peace.
The visit comes shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s trip to India earlier this month, where he held wide-ranging discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Both sides agreed to pursue a “stable, cooperative, and forward-looking” relationship, unveiling initiatives aimed at resetting bilateral ties.
Relations between the two Asian giants deteriorated sharply following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. The situation has gradually eased with the completion of the disengagement process at key friction points such as Demchok and Depsang, finalized in October last year.
Modi last visited China in June 2018 to attend the SCO summit, while Xi Jinping travelled to India in October 2019 for the second informal summit.
- With inputs from agencies
