What happened?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Tianjin, China, on August 31 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first visit to China since the 2020 Galwan Valley standoff. The visit signals a potential turning point in India-China relations, with both sides seeking to manage tensions and restore diplomatic normalcy. A bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly under consideration, following their brief interaction at the BRICS summit in Kazan earlier this year.
Why it matters to India
The SCO summit provides India an important multilateral platform to engage regional stakeholders on security, economic, and connectivity issues, particularly amid shifting global alignments. PM Modi’s expected bilateral meetings on the sidelines—including with Russian President Vladimir Putin—underscore India’s strategic balancing between major powers. His visit also follows earlier diplomatic engagements, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s participation in the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in June, where India maintained its firm stance on counter-terrorism. Occurring against the backdrop of US criticism of India’s energy ties with Russia, the summit underscores India’s pursuit of strategic autonomy within a multipolar global order.