PM may visit China for the 1st time in 7 years; visit amid trade standoff with US | India News

India and China are in touch about a likely visit by PM Narendra Modi to the country for the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) on August 31-September 1. There was no official confirmation by either side about Modi’s visit but government sources said preparations were on for Indian participation in the summit that will be hosted by President Xi Jinping in Tianjin and will also be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.The PM is also expected to visit Tokyo for the annual India-Japan summit, along with China. It’s learnt that once India officially confirms participation by Modi, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will travel to India to discuss the agenda for Modi’s bilateral with Xi on the margins of the summit. Wang is also expected for the Special Representative talks with NSA Ajit Doval on the boundary issue.Modi had last visited China in June, 2018, again for the SCO summit. While its support for the Eurasian bloc has not been absolute, the Indian government sees the grouping as important for its relations with Central Asia and for addressing its security concerns in Afghanistan. Additionally, the SCO, often seen as a potential counterweight to the West, also serves as a platform for India to assert its strategic autonomy.If it happens, Modi’s visit to China will come in the middle of a trade firestorm that has singed India’s relationship with the US. President Donald Trump Wednesday announced an additional 25 percent tariffs on India for its trade with Russia, worsening further the erosion of trust between the 2 countries because of Trump’s incessant targeting of India. If Modi does indeed travel to China, he’s unlikely to return without a bilateral meeting with Putin. Modi in fact is also likely to host the Russian president for the annual India-Russia summit later this year. Modi’s bilateral with Xi will also be only their second formal meeting since the latter visited India in 2019 for the second India-China informal summit. The 2 leaders met last year in Kazan in October, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, following the understanding to end the eastern Ladakh standoff. The meeting outlined steps, including high-level engagements, to normalize the relationship with the understanding that differences should not be allowed to turn into disputes. Since then, there have been several high-level visits by India to China, including by Doval, foreign minister S Jaishankar, defence minister Rajnath Sigh and foreign secretary Vikram Misri. Following these meetings, both sides have sought to address each others demands like the resumption of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage for Indians and tourist visas for Chinese nationals.