New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold two rounds of bilateral talks on Sunday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, as both sides seek to strengthen ties amid strained India-US relations following President Donald Trump’s tariff hike.
According to sources, Modi will arrive in Tianjin on Saturday evening after his visit to Japan. His first meeting with Xi is scheduled around noon on Sunday, with another likely before the SCO’s official banquet later in the evening. On Monday, the Prime Minister will participate in the SCO Summit’s formal sessions and is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before returning to New Delhi.
This marks Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, and experts say his engagement with Xi will be the most closely watched interaction—not just in Asia but globally—given the trade and strategic realignments unfolding in the wake of Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian exports.
Reset in India-China Relations
The Tianjin summit comes after a gradual thaw in India-China ties. Relations were strained for nearly five years following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, but last year’s Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, helped end a prolonged freeze. Since then, both governments have stepped up engagement, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holding two rounds of talks on the boundary issue in the past nine months.
Their most recent dialogue, held earlier this month in the backdrop of Trump’s tariff escalation, has given fresh momentum to bilateral ties. Significantly, both sides even discussed an “early harvest” on the boundary dispute—an unusually forward-looking signal in the history of India-China relations.
Modi’s meeting with Xi is therefore expected to go beyond optics, potentially laying out a roadmap for deeper cooperation in trade, connectivity, and regional security.
Geopolitical Context
The SCO summit is unfolding amid a shifting global landscape. Trump’s tariff offensive on India—citing its continued purchase of Russian oil—has triggered tensions in the India-US relationship. Washington has also recently opened a new strategic channel with Islamabad, hosting Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir in a rare White House luncheon, raising concerns in New Delhi about Washington’s recalibrated South Asia strategy.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also be present at the Tianjin summit, making the regional setting more complex.
Meanwhile, Modi’s expected meeting with President Putin will draw attention globally, as it comes at a time when Trump has directly targeted India’s energy trade with Russia.
China’s Expectations
Beijing, keen to showcase the SCO as a major global platform distinct from traditional Western groupings, has invited 20 foreign leaders to Tianjin, making it the largest SCO summit to date.
Chinese scholars have welcomed Modi’s attendance, highlighting its importance for both bilateral ties and the success of the summit. Zhou Rong, Professor of Strategic Studies at Renmin University, said the atmosphere for the Modi-Xi meeting would be “harmonious,” noting that the two leaders have shared a cordial rapport over the past decade.
“China hopes that Mr Modi’s participation will encourage all parties to make the summit successful and fruitful,” he said.
Rong Ying, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, added that India’s role in the SCO is crucial. “China, as host, is anticipating India to make more contributions and play a constructive role. Close cooperation between India and China in regional groupings like the SCO holds great potential,” he noted.
According to Chinese experts, the success of the Tianjin summit should be judged by its ability to address common challenges of peace, security, and development, reinforcing the SCO’s status as a rising regional bloc.
