PM Modi China Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China at the end of this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. The Indian leader will make a trip to Japan on August 30 before heading to Beijing for a two-day visit. The update comes weeks after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended two separate SCO meetings in China.
Visit likely on August 31: Reports
According to multiple reports on Wednesday, the PM will depart for China on August 31. Beijing had extended a formal invitation to Modi earlier this year as the US-China trade war intensified. The SCO summit will be held from August 31 to September 1.
This will be his first visit to the country since the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 left ties between the two neighbours severely strained. Modi had previously met Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024. India had China had announced plans for disengagement of troops in Depsang and Demchok following their meeting.
The two countries have taken several steps to repair relations in recent years. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also met with President Xi in July — his first visit to China since the military standoff began — and apprised him of the “recent development” in bilateral ties. He had also expressed India’s support for China’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation during the trip — noting that the bilateral relationship has shown signs of recovery since Modi met Xi in Kazan last October.
What was the Galwan Clash?
Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh had become the site a deadly clash in June 2020 — killing 20 soldiers and leaving others injured. The clash was triggered by a standoff over infrastructure development and territorial claims along the Line of Actual Control with hundreds of soldiers engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The incident had led to a prolonged military standoff, multiple rounds of disengagement talks, and the construction of additional military infrastructure by both sides. Ties between the two countries remain somewhat strained despite limited disengagement and efforts to improve the situation.