Chinese President Xi Jing ping expressed his congratulations to India on assuming the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit today and promised Beijing would assist New Delhi in hosting the meeting the following year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jing ping met in person for the first time today at the regional summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, since the start of the armed standoff in Ladakh in 2020.
The administration has neither verified nor dismissed the rumours of a potential bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the Chinese President. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra responded to a question regarding the meeting by saying, “We will keep you fully informed when the PM’s programme of bilateral engagements develops.” Additionally, China has not confirmed that the two leaders will meet.
PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet one-on-one, according to the Foreign Ministry, and are anticipated to discuss commerce in general, sales of Russian fertiliser, and shared food supplies. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan, and Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, will also speak with PM Modi.
PM Modi officially began his participation in the regional summit today by taking a group photo with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and the leaders of the other member states of the powerful alliance. PM Modi was one of the last leaders to arrive in Samarkand.
In his address to world leaders, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the necessity of increased connectivity within the regional bloc to address the food and energy shortages brought on by the Covid -19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.
Better connectivity and access to transit are necessary for this, said PM Modi, adding that India supports mutual trust and cooperation among SCO nations. “The SCO has to focus on developing diversified and resilient supply chains,” he said.
The PM stated that India is prepared to cooperate with SCO nations and that the innovative use of technology is being prioritised in our people-centric development strategy.
“We are attempting to turn India into a centre for manufacturing.
We encourage innovation across all industries. In our nation today, there are more than 70,000 start-ups and more than 100 unicorns,” he said.
The summit, which will take place in India in 2023, will mark the beginning of Iran’s accession to full membership in the important club of eight nations.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was established in June 2001, currently has eight full members, including its six founding nations: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, Pakistan and India became full members.
Read more: SCO Summit Highlights: PM Modi to hold several bilateral talks with leaders
