Modi lands in China after 7 years; to meet Xi, Putin
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tianjin , for his first visit to China since 2018. He is set to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several other leaders before attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
- The Prime Minister’s much-anticipated meeting with Mr. Xi comes amid a marked improvement in India-China ties against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war.
- This is the second meeting between the two leaders in less than a year, after their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last October.
Zelenskyy’s appeal
- Mr. Modi’s planned meeting with Mr. Putin has acquired additional significance as he received a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late on Saturday, soon after landing in Tianjin.
- The Ukrainian leader urged Mr. Modi to “deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders” at the SCO summit. Referring to the Russian attacks that have intensified over the past few days, Mr. Zelenskyy’s statement emphasised the “need for immediate ceasefire”. He added: “It is impossible to speak meaningfully about peace while our cities and communities are under constant fire.”
- Mr. Modi is expected to meet Myanmar’s Acting President General Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday, and will also attend an official welcome banquet hosted by Mr. Xi for Heads of Governments and States and other dignitaries.
- The meeting of the SCO, one of the world’s largest regional groupings in terms of population and land mass, comes amid turbulence in global trade due to the U.S. imposition of import tariffs, including 50% on Indian goods.
- China, which is chairing the bloc this year, says the Tianjin Declaration will include new measures to support SCO development by practicing multilateralism and safeguarding regional stability.
- Mr. Xi is expected to deliver keynote addresses at both the Heads of States meeting and at the ‘SCO plus’ meeting of member countries and dialogue partners.
- India will also seek stronger commitments for anti-terrorism efforts and regional stability at the summit. In June, it had declined to endorse a joint statement at an SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting held in China, pushing for tougher language against terrorism. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also urged the SCO not to compromise on terrorism, during a meeting in July.
- The Prime Minister will leave for India , while most of the leaders of the grouping, including Mr. Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, are expected to stay back for military parade to commemorate the Chinese victory against ‘Japanese aggression’ during World War II.
Source: TH