'Solidarity, friendship': China welcomes PM Modi for SCO, eyes 'fruitful results' at Tianjin Summit

China has confirmed it will welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tianjin later this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, expressing hopes for strengthened solidarity and cooperation among member states.

PM Modi will visit China for the SCO meeting on August 31, his first trip to the neighbouring nation since the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in 2020.

Responding to reports in Indian media that Prime Minister Modi will visit China on August 31 at Beijing’s invitation to attend the SCO Summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that preparations were on for what Beijing hopes to be an important meeting.

“China welcomes Prime Minister Modi to China for the SCO Tianjin Summit. We believe that with the concerted effort of all parties, the Tianjin summit will be a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results,” Guo said.

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Guo also stated that the summit will usher in a “new stage of high-quality development” for the SCO, defined by “greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism, and productiveness.”

The SCO, a regional security and economic bloc founded in 2001, currently includes China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members. The Tianjin meeting is expected to address regional stability, economic cooperation and counter-terrorism, among other issues.