Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to begin his 2-day China tour whereby he will be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit starting from today in Qingdao. It’s going to be the first SCO Summit after its expansion. Alongside the summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two nations will look forward to deepening their ties.
On 9th and 10th June, I will be in Qingdao, China to take part in the annual SCO Summit. This will be India’s first SCO Summit as a full member. Will be interacting with leaders of SCO nations and discussing a wide range of subjects with them. https://t.co/7mwQLaHGkS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 8, 2018
The summit will be held in Qingdao, a coastal city located in East China’s Shandong Province. pm Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in the city at 1:20 pm followed by which he will meet President Jinping to discuss trade, investments, and other crucial matters. This is the second time in 6 weeks that Modi is meeting Jinping.
Mentioned below are some highlights of PM Modi’s China tour:
• The Summit will be attended by 8 full member states namely China, India, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. Besides, there will be members with observer status including Iran, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Belarus.
• At the summit, India is likely to focus on projects that are crucial for regional connectivity so as to boost trade among members of the SCO. These include the likes of Chabahar port project in Iran and the International North-South Transport Corridor that will provide access to resource-rich Central Asian countries.
• Reportedly, PM Modi is likely to hold around 6 bilateral meetings with the leaders of SCO countries. However, it’s not confirmed whether India and Pakistan would indulge in the bilateral talks.
• India has been raising the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in multilateral forums so as to build pressure on Islamabad. India wants Islamabad to dismantle the terror infrastructure operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, Modi said that he was “excited” to lead the Indian delegation and attend the meeting with India as a full member. He believes that summit will herald “a new beginning for India’s engagement with the SCO.”
