PM Modi likely to visit Japan and China in August-September

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to visit Japan in August-end for the annual summit, followed by a trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in early September amid efforts by both India and the Chinese government to stabilise bilateral ties.

If Modi travels to China, it will be his first visit to the country since 2019. Bilateral ties had hit a new low after the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in Ladakh in June 2020.

A bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is on the cards if Modi attends the SCO summit. The two last met in Kazan for the BRICS summit and put in place a process to stabilise bilateral ties. Modi could also meet other SCO leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including the Russian President, in what would be their first meeting since the Kazan BRICS summit.

Ahead of the PM's proposed China visit, external affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing and raised the issue of restrictive trade measures and roadblocks to economic cooperation in the backdrop of restrictions on rare earth magnet supplies and fertilisers to India.