After 6 years, PM Modi to visit China for SCO summit, Japan stop first

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Japan and China from August 29 to September 1, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on August 22.

In Japan, PM Modi will participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo from August 29 to 30 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This will be Modi’s eighth visit to Japan and his first bilateral summit with PM Ishiba.

“During the visit, the two Prime Ministers will review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, including defense and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people to people exchanges, as well as discuss issues of regional and global importance,” the MEA said in a statement.

The visit, it said, will reaffirm the “longstanding special bond of friendship” between the two countries.

From Japan, the Prime Minister will head to Tianjin, China, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit from August 31 to September 1. The summit will see participation from leaders of over 20 countries.

“In the second leg of his visit, at the invitation of the President of China, H.E. Xi Jinping, Prime Minister will travel to China from 31 August to 1 September 2025 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin,” the MEA said.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

This will be Modi’s first visit to China since 2018, when he met Xi Jinping for two informal summits—first in Wuhan in April, followed by the SCO Summit in Qingdao in June. Xi later visited India in 2019 for a second informal summit, aimed at stabilizing ties after the 2017 Doklam standoff.