PM Modi may visit China for SCO Summit, first since 2020 Galwan valley clashes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Japan and China on a two-nation tour, beginning around August 29.

The prime minister is expected to first visit Japan to hold an annual India-Japan summit. From there, he is likely to travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled to be held from August 31 to September 1.

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This will be Modi’s first visit to China since the Galwan valley clashes between Indian Army personnel and Chinese PLA soldiers in 2020. He had last met Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia.

Earlier in July this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also visited China. This was also the first meeting of Jaishankar since the 2020 military standoff between the armies of the two countries.

Modi’s visit to China, if materialized, will come amid a strain in India’s ties with the US in the wake of President Donald Trump’s imposition of enhanced tariffs on India in addition to penalties for purchasing Russian oil.