PM Modi Departs For Home After Concluding 'Productive' China Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday concluded a "productive" visit to China during which he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and held bilateral talks with world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The prime minister, who was here on the final leg of his two-nation visit, said in a social media post that he emphasised India's stand on "key global issues" here. "Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India’s stand on key global issues," Modi said in an X post.

The prime minister added that he was thankful to President Xi, the Chinese government and the country's people for the "successful organisation" of the summit.

Modi's visit to China came after a gap of seven years. During his address at the summit earlier in the day, Modi called for shunning double standards in combating terrorism. At the summit that was also attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi and many other global leaders, Modi said that fighting terrorism is the "duty towards humanity". He also asserted that the Pahalgam terror attack was not only an assault on India's conscience but was also an open challenge to every nation that believes in humanity. The prime minister also elaborated on India's vision and policy towards the grouping, and floated an acronym for SCO: "S for Security, C for Connectivity and O for Opportunity".

Before his departure, Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Putin and conveyed to him that ending the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible is humanity's call. The two leaders also deliberated on bilateral cooperation in sectors such as economic, financial, and energy and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in ties in these areas. On Sunday, Modi also held talks with Xi on the sidelines of the summit.

The two leaders vowed to expand trade and investment ties to stabilise global commerce, and agreed to deepen bilateral ties to combat pressing challenges. They also agreed to work towards a "fair" solution to the festering border issue.

Modi's talks with Putin and Xi came against the backdrop of possibly the worst phase in India-US relations in over two decades, with the strain exacerbated by President Donald Trump's tariff policy and constant criticism of New Delhi by his administration. Modi had reached China after wrapping up a two-day visit to Japan.