PM Modi, Xi Jinping to meet at Shanghai conclave, no talks with Pak PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bilateral meeting on June 9 ahead of his participation in the ‘18th meeting of the Council of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’ at Qingdao in the Shandong province of China, the MEA said on Thursday.  However, sources said there is no possibility of any bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain who is expected to represent Islamabad at the meet.

Sources also said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has conveyed to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in South Africa the Chinese appreciation for Mr Modi’s recent address at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore. Both foreign ministers were in South Africa for a BRICS meeting.

The bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and President Xi comes on the heels of their informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan which had put Sino-Indian ties firmly back on track after the Doklam setback last year. A discussion on regional and international issues is expected to take place at the SCO meeting. The main SCO meeting will be held on June 10. The MEA described the SCO  as a “grouping of central Asian countries”, making it clear — in response to another question — that SCO cannot be seen as an alternative to SAARC.