'Greater Solidarity, Coordination, Dynamism': China Hopes To Break Ice With PM Modi's SCO Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Photo: ANI)

China on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, expressing hope that the summit would foster solidarity, friendship and deliver “fruitful results.” 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun expressed hope that the Tianjin SCO summit will lead the SCO to a new stage of high-quality development with greater coordination, dynamism and productivity.

"China welcomes Prime Minister Modi to China for the SCO Tianjin Summit. We believe that with the concerted effort of all parties, the Tianjin summit will be a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results, and the SCO will enter a new stage of high-quality development featuring greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productiveness," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a regular media briefing in Beijing.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, the SCO summit to be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1 will be the largest summit ever held since the organisation was founded. Leaders from more than 20 countries, including all SCO member states, and heads of 10 international organisations are expected to attend the summit.

According to reports, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to travel to China to attend the SCO Summit, which will be held in Tianjin City from August 31 to September 1. This will be PM Modi's first visit to China since the violent Galwan clash in 2020, which severely strained bilateral ties.

PM Modi had earlier travelled to China in 2019. He also held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.

Galwan Valley Clash

The Galwan Valley clash, one of the deadliest encounters between India and China in over four decades, took place between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh on the night of June 15, 2020. As per existing agreements between the two countries, firearms were not used in the clash and the soldiers fought using stones, sticks and other improvised weapons.

Twenty Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer, were martyred in the clash, while around 43 Chinese soldiers were also reported to have been casualties.

What is SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001. The member states of SCO include India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

(With IANS Inputs)