Modi and Xi Set for Key SCO Summit Talks to Strengthen Ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are poised to hold two bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31, aiming to deepen India-China relations amid strained India-US ties due to US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian exports. Modi, arriving from Japan on Saturday evening, will meet Xi around noon on Sunday, with a possible second meeting before the SCO’s official banquet, sources say. A bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin is also scheduled for September 1 before Modi’s departure.

This marks Modi’s first visit to China since 2018, a significant step following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that froze bilateral ties. The SCO Summit, hosting over 20 leaders from 10 member states, including Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, is seen as a platform for Global South solidarity and a counter to Western influence, especially as Trump’s tariffs—imposed over India’s Russian oil purchases—disrupt trade. The October 2024 Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan, Russia, during the BRICS Summit, broke a four-year deadlock, paving the way for disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and resuming mechanisms like the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Recent talks between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including the 24th Special Representatives meeting in August 2025, have injected “new momentum” into ties, with discussions on an “early harvest” for the boundary dispute—a rare optimistic note in the seven-decade-long issue. Modi emphasized peace and a mutually acceptable resolution during Wang’s August 19 visit to New Delhi, where Xi’s SCO invitation was delivered.

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Chinese analysts view Modi’s participation as pivotal. Zhou Rong of Renmin University highlighted the leaders’ decade-long rapport, noting, “Their friendly meetings foster a harmonious summit atmosphere.” Rong Ying from the China Institute of International Studies emphasized India’s role in the SCO, stating, “China-India cooperation in regional groupings has immense potential for peace and development.” The summit aims to address terrorism, trade, and connectivity while showcasing a non-Western global order, though frictions, like India’s objections to omitting the April 2024 Pahalgam attack in SCO statements, persist.

The meetings occur against Trump’s warming ties with Pakistan post-Operation Sindoor and tariff pressures on India, pushing New Delhi to recalibrate its foreign policy. Analysts expect incremental steps like troop withdrawals, trade easing, and visa relaxations, with the SCO’s optics reinforcing India’s non-aligned stance. Despite China’s cautious optimism, some analysts remain skeptical of India’s commitment, citing its US ties and past SCO attendance gaps.

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