The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit commenced with a banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The event took place in China’s port city of Tianjin.
The summit is a large-scale event for the 10-member group, with China extending invitations to 20 foreign leaders and heads of 10 international organizations, including United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The main summit meeting is scheduled to take place in a dedicated conference center, where the leaders of the 10-member group and invited guests will address the gathering.
There is significant interest in Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming speech, particularly given his meeting with Xi Jinping and the backdrop of trade tensions. This meeting is expected to lay the groundwork for future relations, with a joint statement also anticipated. On the sidelines of the SCO summit, PM Modi is also set to meet with Putin.
In his address, Jinping emphasized the SCO’s responsibility in safeguarding regional peace and promoting the development of various nations in an unstable world.
He expressed confidence that the summit would be successful, and the SCO would play an even greater role in fostering cooperation among member countries, uniting the Global South, and advancing human civilization. The term ‘Global South’ refers to a group of economically vulnerable nations.
India regards peace on the border as essential for its relationship with China, and this has been made clear by Prime Minister Modi to Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, PM Modi and President Jinping engaged in comprehensive discussions to focus on bilateral relations.
During the meeting, Kwatra addressed Jinping’s comment that the border issue shouldn’t define overall relations, stating that India has always maintained the importance of peace and harmony on the border for the relationship’s overall progress. Kwatra highlighted that the situation at the border will inevitably impact bilateral ties.
He added that maintaining peace and harmony on the border is a crucial ‘insurance policy’ for the bilateral relationship. During the Modi-Jinping talks, the leaders discussed the border issue, acknowledging the troop withdrawals and ongoing peace efforts.
PM Modi stressed the need for peace in the border regions for sustained development, emphasizing the use of existing mechanisms to avoid future disruptions in the relationship.