Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday arrived in Qingdao, China, to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The issues of discussion at the summit will range from pressing global issues, including future of Iran nuclear deal, impact of US sanctions on Russia and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday soon after his arrival in Qingdao. It is Modi’s second visit to China in little over five weeks. He was in the Chinese city of Wuhan on April 27 and 28 to attend an informal summit with Jinping.
Here are the highlights:
9.00pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states, witnessed a special event by Chinese artists at the International Conference Centre in Qingdao on the sidelines of the annual two-day SCO summit.
8.25pm: New people-to-people mechanism will be set up. On Indian side, it will be headed by the external affairs minister and on the Chinese side, it will be headed by the state council and foreign minister Wang Yi. The first meeting of this mechanism will be held this year: Vijay Gokhale, foreign secretary, in Qingdao.
8.20pm: It was a substantive meeting, President Xi Jinping began by making positive assessment of Wuhan summit.He described it as ‘a new starting point’ in our bilateral relations. PM described it as ‘milestone in our relations’: Vijay Gokhale, foreign secretary on bilateral meeting between Modi and Jinping.
{{/usCountry}}8.20pm: It was a substantive meeting, President Xi Jinping began by making positive assessment of Wuhan summit.He described it as ‘a new starting point’ in our bilateral relations. PM described it as ‘milestone in our relations’: Vijay Gokhale, foreign secretary on bilateral meeting between Modi and Jinping.
{{/usCountry}}7.50pm: One of the important outcomes of today’s meeting was the Chinese side conveyed that they accepted PM’s invitation to President Xi Jinping to have a similar informal summit in India in 2019: Vijay Gokhale, foreign secretary.
7.40pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in Qingdao, China.
7.30pm: Met this year’s SCO host, President Xi Jinping this evening. We had detailed discussions on bilateral and global issues. Our talks will add further vigour to the India-China friendship, tweeted PM Modi.
5.35pm:
4.50pm: PM Narendra Modi met President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and held a bilateral meeting with him on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China’s Qingdao.
4.45pm: India and China signed agreements in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and President of China Xi Jinping in Qingdao.
4.25pm: Modi participated in delegation-level talks with other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, reports ANI News agency.
3.55pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Qingdao on the sidelines of SCO Summit.
Modi said that strong and stable relations between India and China can inspire a stable and peaceful world.
3.30pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met SCO general secretary Rashid Alimov. Alimov told Modi that India is contributing greatly to the organisation since it became a full member of SCO in 2017.