New Delhi/Tianjin – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a crucial bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The meeting marks a significant development in India-China relations, which have seen considerable strain since the 2020 border tensions in eastern Ladakh.
This visit is PM Modi’s first trip to China in over seven years. He arrived in Tianjin on Saturday from Japan, the second and final stop of his two-nation tour. On arrival, Modi was warmly received with a cultural welcome featuring Indian classical music and dance at his hotel.
“Landed in Tianjin, China. Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders,” the Prime Minister posted on social media shortly after his arrival.
The Modi-Xi meeting is expected to focus on resetting bilateral ties, taking stock of economic cooperation, and building on recent diplomatic engagements aimed at restoring stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It comes less than two weeks after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi, during which both countries agreed on a roadmap for a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship.
Among the key outcomes of those talks were agreements to maintain peace along contested borders, reopen border trade, and resume direct flights between the two nations — all seen as early steps toward normalization after years of tensions.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong welcomed PM Modi’s visit, expressing optimism about the potential to rejuvenate bilateral ties. “Confident that this visit will inject new momentum into China-India relations,” Xu said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In an interview published Friday with Japan’s The Yomiuri Shimbun, PM Modi underscored the importance of India and China working together as two major global economies. He emphasized that a stable and predictable relationship between the two countries could help bring much-needed stability to the world economy amid growing global volatility.
“The current volatility in the world economy makes it all the more important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order,” Modi said.
In addition to his meeting with President Xi, the Prime Minister is expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit, which is being closely watched amid global concerns over trade wars, geopolitical rivalries, and economic recovery efforts.
Modi last visited China in June 2018 for the SCO summit, while President Xi’s last visit to India was in October 2019. Their meeting today is viewed as a potential turning point in restoring trust and enhancing cooperation between the two Asian giants.
The two-day SCO summit comes at a time when major economies are grappling with the repercussions of Washington’s ongoing tariff disputes, adding urgency to the discussions among member states.
