Modi to Visit China for First Time in Six Years to Attend SCO Summit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China later this month, marking his first visit to the country since 2018.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval confirmed the trip on Tuesday during a meeting in New Delhi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Modi is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which opens on August 31 in the city of Tianjin.

“Our prime minister will be visiting for the SCO summit,” Doval said, describing the visit as a sign of “new energy” in diplomatic ties between India and China.

Wang welcomed the news, saying China “attaches great importance” to Modi’s visit. He added that a “healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries.”

Wang is also expected to meet Prime Minister Modi later on Tuesday.

The visit comes against the backdrop of strained relations between the two Asian giants, which clashed along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. Despite being rivals for regional influence, both countries have recently sought to rebuild dialogue.

India remains a key member of the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan, and Australia—often viewed as a counterbalance to China. Still, Chinese and Indian leaders have been calling for cooperation at a time of global economic and geopolitical turbulence.

During talks on Monday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Wang urged both nations to see each other “as partners and opportunities, rather than adversaries or threats.”