Modi to Visit Japan and China for SCO Summit and Bilateral Meetings

Strategic Insights -

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a visit to Japan and China next week, where he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This visit comes against the backdrop of a recent thaw in India-China relations and growing estrangement between New Delhi and Washington over trade-related issues. The visit is expected to reaffirm the special bond of friendship between India and Japan, while also addressing issues of economic security, investments, and trade with China.

Key Takeaways:

  • Modi will visit Japan on August 29-30 to participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, his first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
  • The visit will review the special strategic and global partnership between India and Japan, including defence, security, trade, economy, technology, and innovation.
  • Modi will hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, including with President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
  • The visit marks a significant development in India-China relations, which plummeted to their lowest point in six decades due to the military face-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020.
  • Bilateral ties have shown signs of improvement, with the resumption of direct flights, border trade, and an "early harvest" in border delimitation and promotion of trade and investment flows.
  • Modi's visit to China will be his first since 2018, and will aim to address issues of economic security, investments, and trade.

Statistics:

  • The SCO Summit in Tianjin is expected to take place from August 31 to September 1.
  • India has been a member of the SCO since 2017.
  • The military face-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) began in April-May 2020 and lasted for nearly a year.
  • The standoff was resolved last October, with Modi and Xi agreeing to revive several mechanisms to normalise bilateral relations and address the border dispute.
  • Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's visit to India this week resulted in a slew of initiatives to normalise relations, including the resumption of direct flights and border trade.

Sources:

  • External Affairs Ministry announcement on August 24.
  • People familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity.
  • HT Digital Content Services article published by HT Lucknow.