Chinese President Xi Jinping to Attend SCO Summit in Astana

The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, will address key issues such as the situation in Afghanistan, the conflict in Ukraine, and enhancing security cooperation among member countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to participate in the 24th SCO summit in Astana this week, as announced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on June 30. Additionally, President Xi will make a state visit to Tajikistan.

From July 2 to 6, President Xi will be present at the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Astana, according to the Ministry.

Officials have indicated that discussions at the summit will likely focus on Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and strengthening security cooperation among SCO member states.

The SCO, which includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a significant economic and security organization and one of the largest transregional international groups.

S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi Expected to Meet

India will be represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

There is a possibility of a meeting between Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the summit. Wang Yi is expected to accompany President Xi.

If this meeting occurs, it will be the first high-level interaction between Indian and Chinese officials since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 3.0 government was formed after the recent general elections in India.

Typically, the Indian Prime Minister attends the SCO summit, providing a chance for Indian and Chinese leaders to meet on the sidelines. However, since Mr. Modi has chosen not to attend, the potential meeting between Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Wang gains importance, especially considering the four-year-long strained relations between the two countries due to the standoff in Eastern Ladakh.

Tense Relations Between India and China

Relations between India and China have been tense, except for trade, since the border standoff in Eastern Ladakh began on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash near the Pangong Tso (lake) area close to Galwan.

Since the clashes in May 2020, both sides have conducted 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff, with the 22nd meeting yet to be held.

According to the Chinese military, both sides have agreed to disengage from four points: the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Hot Springs, and Jianan Daban (Gogra) in Eastern Ladakh.

India is urging the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, insisting that normal relations with China cannot be restored as long as the border situation remains abnormal.

China, on its part, maintains that the boundary issue does not encompass the entirety of China-India relations and should be managed appropriately within bilateral relations.

Kazakhstan is hosting the summit as the current chair of the SCO.

India chaired the SCO last year and hosted the summit virtually in July.

India has shown a strong interest in enhancing its security cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which focuses on security and defense issues.

The SCO was established at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.