Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Tianjin on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, marking his first trip to China since the 2020 Galwan clashes.
He was welcomed at Binhai International Airport with handshakes from Indian and Chinese officials, alongside a cultural performance staged by local artists. The visit comes at a delicate juncture in India-China relations, with both sides recently signalling steps to stabilise ties through resumed trade and discussions on restoring direct flights.
Modi will join leaders of the 10-member bloc, including host Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bilateral meetings with both are planned on the sidelines of the summit.
Also read: PM wraps Japan trip, heads to China for SCO
The SCO, which India entered as a full member in 2017, brings together major Eurasian powers such as China, Russia, Iran, and Central Asian republics. For India, the summit carries both strategic and economic significance, particularly as the US’s 50 per cent tariff regime, including penalties linked to Russian oil imports, reshapes trade dynamics.
During recent talks in Beijing, External Affairs Minister Wang Yi and Indian counterparts agreed to strengthen exchanges in tourism, trade and connectivity. Both sides stressed their commitment to multilateralism, a rules-based global trading system, and safeguarding the role of developing economies in an increasingly multipolar order.
India has previously chaired both the SCO Council of Heads of Government (2020) and the Council of Heads of State (2022–23). The Tianjin summit now offers Modi another opportunity to advance India’s strategic priorities, while testing the evolving balance in relations with both China and Russia.
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