Chinese President and Indian PM to Meet Ahead of SCO Meet

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are said to meet on August 31 in China on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tashkent. The leaders will come together almost a year after their meeting in October 2024. That meeting concluded with India and China announcing a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve the military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Xi Jinping in China last month. This was also his first visit to the country after ties between the two nations soured in 2020. “I appreciate the recent development of our bilateral ties under the guidance of our leaders in that regard,” said Jaishankar in a post on social media platform X. Jaishankar also said that he had conveyed greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Indian Prime Minister Modi to the Chinese President.

The meeting will witness discussions on key initiatives, including resumption of direct flights. Both sides also agreed to facilitate visas for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors. Further finalisation occurred after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a Eurasian political, economic, and international security organisation consisting of 10 member states. It was established in 2001 by the People’s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Later in June 2017, the organisation expanded to 8 members with India and Pakistan joining. In July 2023, Iran joined the group, while Belarus joined in July 2024. Other countries participate in the summit as observers and dialogue partners.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is the world’s largest regional organisation in terms of geographic scope and population. It is governed by the Heads of State Council (HSC), which is also its supreme decision-making body that meets once a year. A distinct feature of the organisation is the presence of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).

The central “Shanghai Five” group was created on April 26, 1996, with the heads of state of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. All the nations together signed the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai on April 24, 1997. The same group of countries signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions in Moscow, Russia. Subsequently, the annual summits of the Shanghai Five group addressed important transborder issues.