8 August 2025,
Friday
8 August 2025,
Friday
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China this month. While the Ministry of External Affairs has not yet officially announced PM Modi's visit, media reports suggest that he will travel to China on August 31st to participate in the SCO – Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit. The 2025 SCO summit will be held in Tianjin, China, on August 31st and September 1st.
This visit will mark PM Modi's first trip to China in seven years. His last visit to China was in June 2018, also to attend an SCO summit. Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly following a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley on June 15-16, 2020. However, relations have improved in recent months.
It is noteworthy that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened India against purchasing oil from Russia. To pressure India, Trump announced a 25% tariff, plus an additional 25% tariff for purchasing oil from Russia, totaling 50%. This decision not only jeopardizes the trade deal between the two countries but has also strained relations. In this context, PM Modi's visit to China is extremely significant.
The 'tariff war' between the US and China was widely known. China did not yield to US tariffs and retaliated with its own tariffs. Any increase in tariffs by the US was met with a similar increase by China. While the situation has improved somewhat, normalcy has not been restored, and a rift remains in relations between the two countries. In this context, PM Modi's visit to China serves as a strong rebuttal to Trump's threats. India has previously made it clear on several occasions that it will not succumb to these threats.
During PM Modi's visit to China, he will discuss not only SCO-related issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping (शी जिनपिंग), but also other important matters. PM Modi and Xi Jinping will discuss several key issues, including tackling Trump's tariffs, improving bilateral relations between India and China, increasing trade between the two countries, and resolving border disputes.
