Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China: Will attend the SCO summit for the first time after the Galwan tension

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China for the SCO summit marks a significant step in India-China relations post-Galwan, while also strengthening ties with Japan. It highlights India’s balanced foreign policy amid global tensions and evolving geopolitical dynamics.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit to be held in China from 31 August to 1 September this month. This visit is historic in many ways, as it will be PM Modi's first visit to China after the India-China military clash in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh in 2020. This visit is being considered an important step towards normalizing relations between the two countries.

Importance of the visit

First high-level visit after Galwan: India-China relations have been tense since the violent clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. In this backdrop, this visit of PM Modi can bring new momentum to bilateral relations.

SCO Summit: Leaders of more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will attend this meeting. Issues like trade cooperation, terrorism, regional security, and multilateral cooperation will be discussed here. - Meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping: PM Modi and Xi Jinping last met during the BRICS summit held in Russia in October 2024. In this meeting, the two leaders are likely to discuss other issues, including border disputes.

First visit to Japan

Before the SCO conference, PM Modi will visit Japan on August 30, where he will attend the annual summit with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. The visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen the India-Japan strategic partnership.

Issue of US tariffs

This visit of PM Modi is taking place at a time when the US is threatening to increase tariffs on India. US President Donald Trump has alleged that the BRICS countries are trying to weaken the dollar. In this backdrop, India's foreign policy strategy becomes more important.

This visit of Prime Minister Modi reflects India's 'multi-alignment' policy, where on one hand he is strengthening the strategic partnership with Japan, while on the other hand he is also trying to reduce tensions with China.

India's active participation in the SCO summit reflects the country's commitment to foreign policy. This visit underlines India's growing role not only in regional security but also in global geopolitics.