Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to undertake a four-day official visit to Japan and China from August 29 to September 1. The Ministry of External Affairs also dubbed it a “significant” trip for a multitude of reasons while outlining his itinerary on Tuesday.
This is incidentally the Indian leader’s first trip to China in nearly seven years after ties between the neighbours were affected by deadly border clashes of 2020.
In the first leg of his trip, Mr. Modi will be in Japan on a two-day visit. From Japan, he will travel to China, primarily to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
At a press briefing organised at the Ministry of External Affairs today, India’s foreign secretary Misri stated that the Prime Minister Modi would be embarking on an official visit to Japan on Tuesday.
Modi is scheduled to hold the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, on August 29 and 30. This event would mark his first annual summit with PM Ishiba.
Misri’s comments on PM Modi’s visit
In his statement to the press, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Japan beginning Friday is set to reaffirm the two nations’ commitment to peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”
“This is a significant visit for several reasons,” Misri noted. He further explained that the annual summit between India and Japan represents the highest-level dialogue mechanism that exists between the two countries, which drives the agenda of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Misri further stated that India and Japan are two countries that share values, trust and strategic outlook on several issues. He stressed that bilateral relations between the two countries, which also form two of the top 5 Asian economies of the world, have expanded steadily over the last decade across trade, defence, technology and innovation.
As per Misri, the annual summit provides both countries with a chance to consolidate their friendship and open fresh avenues for cooperation.
PM Modi to head to China after Japan
From Japan, Prime Minister Modi will proceed to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. This trip would mark Modi’s first visit to China in seven years.
PM Modi is expected to hold multiple bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, said on Tuesday.
The Shanghai Cooperation is a regional Eurasian security bloc that was founded in 2001 to safeguard regional economic and security interests. SCO currently has 10 member states. These are India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Uzbekistan. Belarus joined the SCO in 2024, while Iran became a member state in 2023.
The Eurasian security bloc also has observer states such as Afghanistan and Mongolia, and dialogue partners like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Turkey.
(With inputs from PTI)