Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet world leaders on the sidelines of the two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao, China. In focus, will be discussions with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Hassan Rowhani.
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Modi is expected to hold nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries. However, there is no official word on whether there will be any interaction between PM Modi and Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain.
- Will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday their second meeting in as many months.
- Earlier this month Modi addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue where he said that Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each other’s interests. This comment was appreciated by the Chinese.
- They will take stock of the implementation of decisions taken at the informal summit just over a month ago in Wuhan.
- The two leaders reached a consensus to “issue strategic guidance to their militaries to strengthen communication” especially to avoid Doklam-like situations.
- Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam, last year, after India objected to construction of a road by China. Both sides had “disengaged” in August last year.
- The talks will also be important in terms of the trade and commerce. Chinese investments have been increasing not only in India but also in the neighbourhood specially infrastructure projects like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives besides Pakistan where it is investing heavily in the $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India has protested to China over the CPEC as it traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
- India and China agreed to develop a project jointly in war-torn Afghanistan, officials has said after the Wuhan summit.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members last year, and are participating as full members for the first time.