Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tianjin, China, on August 30, marking his first visit to the country in over seven years. Modi is attending the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which opens on August 31 and runs through September 1. The summit will include the participation of several regional leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Modi is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings.
The Indian leader was received with a formal welcome at Binhai International Airport. Senior Chinese officials and Indian diplomatic representatives were present at the reception, which also featured a cultural display by local performers. Modi’s visit has drawn notable attention due to its significance for India-China relations, which have experienced strain in recent years. During the SCO summit, leaders are expected to discuss regional security, economic development, counterterrorism, and energy cooperation.
The presence of Modi, Xi, and Putin at the same forum has added to the event’s diplomatic importance. According to official Indian briefings, bilateral talks between Modi and Xi will address a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including trade and border stability. Talks with Putin are anticipated to cover energy collaboration and broader regional engagement. Modi’s visit comes at a time of heightened economic pressure from the United States on several Asian economies, including India, due to tariff measures linked to strategic energy imports.
India to hold bilateral talks with China and Russia
Recent trade tensions with Washington, including the imposition of a 50 percent tariff on certain Indian exports, have placed additional emphasis on India’s engagement with other major economies attending the SCO summit. This visit also comes against the backdrop of a recent military exercise conducted by Indian forces along the country’s northeastern border. The Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police carried out a four-day high-altitude exercise in Arunachal Pradesh before Modi’s departure for China. The drill, aimed at operational preparedness, involved mobility, surveillance, and coordination activities across forward areas near the Line of Actual Control.
PM Modi’s strategic vision has redefined India’s role in international affairs over the last decade, positioning the country as the third-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP. His foreign policy has focused on strengthening bilateral partnerships, promoting trade diversification, and deepening India’s engagement with both established and emerging powers. Under Modi’s leadership, India has expanded its global footprint through infrastructure diplomacy, technology partnerships, and defense agreements, while consistently advocating for a rules-based global order that aligns with its developmental and security objectives.
The 2025 SCO summit is also notable for convening three of the world’s most influential leaders Modi, Xi, and Putin at a time of significant geopolitical transition. Their presence at the summit reflects a broader shift in the global power structure, where regional groupings and non-Western alliances are playing a greater role in shaping international policy. The meeting of these leaders highlights the strategic relevance of the SCO as a forum for dialogue and cooperation amid rising global polarization and evolving economic alignments.
SCO meeting signals stronger Asian cooperation models
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, founded in 2001, currently includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The group focuses on political, security, and economic cooperation across Central and South Asia. India assumed the rotating presidency of the SCO in 2023 and handed it over to China earlier this year. This year’s summit is being held in-person, following several virtual engagements during the pandemic period.
The PM Modi’s engagements in Tianjin will conclude with his return to New Delhi on September 1. This visit represents the highest-level interaction between Indian and Chinese leadership since the last bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in 2023. The outcome of the SCO discussions and the bilateral meetings is expected to be detailed in official statements following the summit’s conclusion. – By Content Syndication Services.