As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to travel to Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, 2025 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Beijing has issued a warm welcome as part of its official recognition of the summit, early signs of a thawing of a bilateral relationship.
Guo Jiakun, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was optimistic about the Summit, calling it “a meeting of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results,” but noted early ambitions for the SCO to enter “a new stage of high quality development with greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productivity.
Leaders of over 20 countries and heads of 10 international organisations will be attending this summit, making it the world’s largest summit in integral signed member states in SCO history.
PM Modi’s visit marks his first trip to China since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, making it a symbolic move amid India’s ongoing recalibration. PM Modi’s visit comes right after India’s stop in Japan for the annual India-Japan Summit and a continuation of New Delhi’s engagement with various regional powers.
