NewsGate Press Network

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to meet the XI Jinping on Sunday at the opening day of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Summit meeting in port city of Tianjin in China.

Modi landed in China on Saturday the 30th of August 2025  – his first after a gap of seven years.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday amid the 50% tariffs imposed on India by US President Donald Trump and China’s own tussle with the US over levies.

The one-to-one meeting with the top leader from China is significant while keeping up the momentum to improve ties for both the countries which have mended significantly since the lows following the Galwan clash in 2020 and a prolonged military standoff in Eastern Ladakh, is expected to be the key focus area of the meeting.

A day earlier in Tokyo while on a state visit to Japan, the Prime Minister had said in an interview there that India-China ties are crucial and will have a “positive impact on regional peace and prosperity”.

“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I will travel to Tianjin from here to take part in the SCO summit. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan (at the SCO meet in Russia) last year, steady and positive progress has been made in our bilateral ties,” PM Modi said.

“Stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, the two largest nations on Earth, can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity… This is also crucial for a multi-polar Asia and world,” he added.

India and China also decided, after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi earlier this month, to work on a settlement of the boundary question and said an expert group will be set up to explore an early solution to boundary delimitation.

The countries also agreed to resume direct flight connectivity at the earliest, as well as the facilitation of visas.

Modi is also most likely to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the impact of Trump tariffs, Russia’s conflict with Ukraine and the situation in Gaza.

In related development datelined Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called PM Modi and shared his perspective on the recent developments related to Ukraine. “Thank President Zelenskyy for his phone call today. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,” PM Modi wrote on X after the call.

Strategic affairs experts including those based in Washington DC area believe that Trump’s tariffs have greatly harmed the deepening warm ties with India on many fronts. And New Delhi is all set to forge a much stronger bond with both Moscow and Beijing.