India steps up China and Russia outreach ahead of SCO summit

India has intensified its diplomatic engagement with China and Russia in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The outreach includes a series of high-level visits aimed at preparing the ground for Modi’s planned bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Chinese Foreign Minister and Special Representative for boundary talks Wang Yi will visit India on 18 August, with the announcement expected to be made jointly by both countries. During his visit, Wang will meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for the 24th round of Special Representative talks, focusing on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and pursuing a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable boundary settlement. Wang is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi and hold discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to finalise the agenda for Modi’s meeting with Xi.

The last round of SR talks took place in December last year, when Doval visited China, and both sides stressed the importance of stable border conditions for the broader bilateral relationship. Jaishankar himself met Wang in Beijing last month during the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, raising issues related to terrorism, border management, and Chinese trade restrictions on Indian goods.

On 21 August, Jaishankar will travel to Moscow to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The talks will review bilateral cooperation ahead of Modi’s expected meeting with Putin during the SCO summit. Lavrov is also expected to visit India before Putin’s scheduled trip for the annual India–Russia summit later this year. The upcoming visit will be Putin’s first to India since the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022.

Source: Times of India