PM Modi to be at Qingdao in China tomorrow to attend SCO Summit; bilateral with Jinping scheduled

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in China tomorrow on a two-day visit to attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

Prime Minister Modi during his visit will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow. Modi is also expected to hold nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries.

India became a full member of the the China-dominated 8-member group SCO last year. India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.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.

PM’s departure statement:

Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s departure statement prior to his visit to Qingdao in China.

“I will be visiting Qingdao in China for the annual meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

I am excited to lead the Indian delegation for our first-ever meeting of the Council as a full member. The SCO has a rich agenda for cooperation, ranging from fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism to promoting cooperation in connectivity, commerce, customs, law, health and agriculture; protecting the environment and mitigating disaster risk; and fostering people-to-people relations. In the last one year since India became a full member of the SCO, our interaction with the Organization and its member States has grown considerably in these areas. I believe that the Qingdao Summit will further enrich the SCO agenda, while heralding a new beginning for India’s engagement with the SCO.

India enjoys deep friendship and multi-dimensional ties with the Member States of the SCO. On the sidelines of the SCO Summit, I will have the opportunity of meeting and sharing views with several other leaders, including the Heads of States of many SCO Member States.”