280 Crore People’s Interests Tied to Our Relations, Modi Tells Jinping

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on Sunday, August 31, 2025. During the meeting, Modi emphasized that the interests of 280 crore people from both nations are linked to their mutual cooperation, which also paves the way for the welfare of humanity.

Modi expressed his commitment to advancing India-China relations based on mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity. Reflecting on last year’s fruitful meeting in Kazan, Russia, he noted that the withdrawal of troops along the border has created an environment of peace and stability.

The Indian Prime Minister stressed the importance of resuming the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and restarting direct flights between India and China. In response, President Xi Jinping highlighted the significance of maintaining friendly relations and good neighborly ties, stating that as two of the world’s oldest civilizations and most populous nations, as well as part of the Global South, it is crucial for India and China—the dragon and the elephant—to move forward together. The SCO summit, hosted in Tianjin, a northern Chinese city on the Bohai Sea coast, began on August 31 and will continue for two days. According to Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin, leaders from over 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations are expected to attend.

As SCO member states, leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are participating. Additionally, leaders such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing, Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Maldivian President Mohammad Muizzu are expected to attend. The summit will also see participation from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.