Modi, Xi To Hold Wide-Ranging Talks In Tianjin As SCO Summit Opens; Trade, Ties On Agenda Amid Trump Tariffs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Tianjin on Sunday (31 August), their first meeting in nearly ten months, NDTV reported.

The talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues aimed at improving bilateral ties.

The meeting comes amid tensions in India–US relations over President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policies.

The two leaders might hold another round of discussions later the same day, given the breadth of topics on the table.

Modi and Xi last met in October during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first visit to China in around seven years.

Before returning to India on Monday (1 September), the Prime Minister is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Modi-Xi meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which begins on Sunday evening with an official banquet hosted by Xi.

Around 20 foreign leaders are attending the SCO Plus format of the summit.

China, holding the rotating chair this year, has described it as one of its most significant diplomatic events in the country this year.

The summit brings together member states including Russia, India, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Among the leaders present are Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said the summit will outline Beijing’s vision for the SCO, with Xi expected to present proposals on strengthening cooperation under the “Shanghai Spirit".

The leaders’ session will be held on Monday (1 September).

Many of the leaders are also expected to stay on for China’s largest military parade in Beijing on 3 September, commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the end of World War II.

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