ModiXi bilateral meet on SCO sidelines tomorrow
DIALOGUE Leaders may take stock of the implementation of Wuhan decisions
NEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday. It would give an opportunity for the leaders to take stock of the implementation of decisions taken at the informal summit little over a month ago in Wuhan.
Meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the summit were being finalised, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing.
Though the officials of India, Japan, the US and Australia met in Singapore on Thursday, New Delhi’s take on the huddle, which is seen as counter to the rising China in the Indo-Pacific region, was nuanced.
Modi is expected to hold nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries. However, there is no official word on whether there would be an interaction with Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain, who is scheduled to attend the meeting in China.
Among other issues, the SCO summit is expected to focus on opportunities for cooperation among the member countries and the situation in the region, Kumar said. The spokesperson said China appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last week.
Though the grouping of Quad—India, Japan, the US and Australia—is seen as a counter to rising China, the Indian statement after their meeting reflected the Shangri-La Dialogue where PM Modi spoke about a multi-polar world and gave enough indications about India’s foreign policy not being directed against anyone. The PM had said Asia and the world will have a better future if India and China work together, while being sensitive to each other’s interests.
“With several of our partners, we meet in formats of three or more,” Modi had said in Singapore, signalling that India taking part in such formats is in its national interest, and not against any other country.
“The participants considered ways to pursue shared objectives in the areas of connectivity and development; regional security, including counter-terrorism and non-proliferation; and maritime cooperation,” the statement after the meeting of the officials of four countries said.
“The Indian side highlighted India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific region as outlined in Prime Minister’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue”, it said.
“The participants reaffirmed their support for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They also confirmed their common commitment, based on shared values and principles, to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific,” the spokesperson said. To a query on Nirav Modi, he said no agency has given his whereabouts to the MEA.