Anticipation over PM Modi, Xi Jinping meet on sidelines of SCO summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday may hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for first time since clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) broke out between the two nations two years ago.

Earlier, news agency Reuters reported and then withdrew an alert about a meeting that it said had taken place between the two leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, Modi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on sidelines of SCO summit in Samarkand during which they discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors.

“PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.

Congratulating New Delhi for hosting the summit next year, the Chinese president said, “We will support India for its presidency next year.” Russian president Vladimir Putin – who is set to hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi later in the day – also conveyed a congratulatory message to India for assuming the presidency.

Ties between India and China have remained strained ever since the border clashes broke out in 2020. Several rounds of high-level discussions have happened since then and the two armies have completed disengagements at key point in Ladakh.