China’s Xi to welcome PM Modi, Putin in powerful show of global south solidarity

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping is all set to roll out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that begins in the Chinese city of Tianjin next week.

India on Tuesday said it expects the SCO to strongly condemn cross-border terrorism at its annual summit, comments that came ahead of PM Modi’s visit to China. Modi will begin a four-day visit to Japan and China from August 29 to September 1.

In the first leg of his trip, he will travel to Tokyo to hold the annual India-Japan summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The two prime ministers will also meet outside Tokyo as well. After concluding his trip to Japan, Modi will visit Tianjin to participate in the SCO summit on August 31 and September 1. The summit will feature Modi’s first visit to China in more than seven years as the two neighbours work on further defusing tensions roiled by deadly border clashes in 2020.

PM Modi last shared the same stage with Xi and Putin at last year’s BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, even as Western leaders turned their backs on the Russian leader amid the war in Ukraine.

At a joint media briefing with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Tanmaya Lal, said New Delhi is working with other SCO member nations and partners to ensure strong condemnation of terrorism in the summit declaration.

“The SCO was established with the primary goal of countering three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism, which continue to remain a challenge,” he said. Lal said the security of the region remains a priority for the SCO members and recalled a joint statement on countering radicalisation, extremism and terrorism that was adopted during India’s presidency of the grouping in 2023.

“In the past, there have been strong condemnations of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in the statements that have been finalised, including the joint statement that I referred to, which was finalised during our presidency of the summit,” he said.

“As far as the declaration at this (upcoming) summit is concerned, that is under finalisation -- the text. We are working with other members and partners to see that there should be a reiteration of the strong condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. But the text is under finalisation,” he said.

Lal’s comments came in response to a question on how the SCO will deal with the threat of terrorism.

Modi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the SCO summit.

To a question on whether the prime minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Secretary Misri said Modi’s engagements are still being finalised.

On Modi’s visit to Japan on Aug 29 and 30, he said it will open fresh avenues of cooperation and reaffirm the shared commitment to peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. It will be Modi’s first standalone visit to Japan in nearly seven years.

“One of the features of the annual summit between India and Japan is an engagement between the two leaders outside the capital and on this occasion as well, the programme includes a visit outside Tokyo, which is again going to be something to look forward to for the two leaders,” Misri said.

The foreign secretary said Modi’s Japan visit will be fully dedicated to the bilateral agenda. It will be Modi’s eighth visit to Japan since he took office in 2014.

“India and Japan are two countries that share values, trust and strategic outlooks on several issues. They are two of Asia’s leading democracies and amongst the top five world economies,” Misri said.

The summit will give both the prime ministers the opportunity to do an in-depth review of these ties, take stock of progress in the last few years across multiple domains, and of course, as is usual, exchange views on regional and global issues of importance, he said.

“This will also be an opportunity to launch several new initiatives in order to build greater resilience in the relationship and to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges,” Misri said.

Ahead of the SCO summit, experts pointed out that while bloc expansion will be a key focus, the mega-event will also serve as Xi Jinping’s way of showing the US a mirror of the emerging new world order, according to a Reuters report.

The summit, to be held from August 31 to September 1, aims to present a united front against US policies and showcase a shift toward a more multipolar world order, experts noted.

The SCO, which has grown to include 10 permanent members and 16 observer countries, reflects the increasing importance of these forums for regional and global cooperation.