Modi visits China for the first time since 2018 amid tensions with the US.
The Indian Prime Minister will participate in the SCO summit after meeting with Japan and is attempting to re-establish relations with Beijing amid friction with Washington.
247 - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official visit to China between August 31 and September 1 to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The information was published this Tuesday (6) by the Hindustan Times newspaper, citing sources close to the Indian government, as highlighted in a report by the RT website.
Before landing on Chinese soil, Modi will visit Japan on August 30 to participate in the annual India-Japan summit, where he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. After the bilateral meeting in Tokyo, Modi will travel directly to China.
This will be the Indian leader's first visit to the neighboring country since 2018, when he participated in meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan and Qingdao. The return comes after a prolonged period of estrangement between the two Asian powers, marked by diplomatic and military tensions.
The last meeting between Modi and Xi took place in 2024, during the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, when a cautious rapprochement process between New Delhi and Beijing began. Modi's participation in the SCO summit is seen as another step in that direction.
The diplomatic gesture also comes at a time when relations between India and the United States are facing increasing deterioration. Recently, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on Indian goods in response to New Delhi's decision to continue importing Russian oil.
The measures provoked a strong reaction from the Indian government, which described the sanctions as "unfair and irrational." In a statement, the government affirmed that imports of Russian oil represent a "necessity imposed by global market conditions," reiterating that its energy policy is guided by national security and the interests of its citizens.
Russia also condemned Washington's stance. According to the Moscow government, President Trump's actions constitute "unacceptable threats" and aim to interfere with the sovereignty of economic decisions of partner countries.
India's rapprochement with China, even if limited to participation in multilateral forums such as the SCO, has the potential to reposition the country in the Asian geopolitical chessboard, amid escalating tensions between the major global powers. Analysts observe that Modi seeks to preserve India's strategic autonomy by maintaining dialogue with various power centers—even in the face of international pressure and disputes.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, founded in 2001 and composed of Central Asian countries, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and other observer states, has gained relevance as an alternative space for political, economic and security coordination, outside the Western sphere of influence.
The expectation is that the meeting on Chinese soil will also serve to re-establish diplomatic channels between India and China, still strained by border disputes and growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, the trip signals that New Delhi does not intend to yield to unilateral impositions from the White House and reinforces its pursuit of a multi-faceted foreign policy.
