Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday engaged in bilateral talks with Myanmar’s acting President and military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in Tianjin, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
This was the second meeting between the two leaders this year, following their earlier discussions during the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April. The talks took place against the backdrop of Myanmar’s announcement that long-delayed general elections will begin on December 28, the first polls in nearly five years since the military coup of 2021 that ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi also met Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, Modi underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the border areas for the steady progress of bilateral ties. The Ministry of External Affairs noted that both leaders expressed satisfaction with last year’s disengagement process and the subsequent maintenance of tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control.
The SCO Summit officially begins this evening at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin. Leaders from the grouping’s 10 member countries—including India, China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan—are expected to attend. The summit will feature a welcoming ceremony, a group photo session, a leaders’ reception, and a cultural concert.
Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the course of the summit, as India continues to engage actively in regional diplomacy.
