PM expected to visit China for SCO meet

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China for the first time in seven years to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at the end of August, marking another step in the normalisation of bilateral ties after the end of the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

- Rezaul H Laskar

The trip to China for the SCO Summit, scheduled to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1, is expected to be clubbed with a visit to Japan for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. It comes at a time when India's relations with the US have hit a low, with President Donald Trump slapping a tariff of 50% on Indian exports to the US. Modi's visit will set up the possibility of a bilateral meeting with Xi, the people said. Among the issues that could figure at this meeting are further steps to normalise relations, including de-escalation on the LAC, the resumption of direct flights, reopening of border trade points and other efforts to boost bilateral trade, and people-topeople exchanges, they said.