PM Modi's second term to begin with Chinese President Xi Jinping meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his second term in office as the PM with a key meeting. He is expected to engage with his Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit which is scheduled to be held between June 14 and 15.

This key meeting in the early part of PM Modi's second term can enhance the Sino-Indian ties which have been stable since Wuhan summit of 2018. "The two leaders are expected to chart out a way forward on a number of contentious issues, bilateral and global, riding on goodwill created by China's green signal to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist", reported The Economic Times.

Xi is reportedly expected to visit India later this year for the second part of the informal summit. The meeting will be held in the backdrop of the Sino-US trade war and suggestions for closer Sino-Indian economic cooperation. However, certain challenges that will remain include an unresolved boundary dispute, huge trade gap, China-Pak Economic corridor and Beijing's opposition to India's National Security Guard (NSG). Earlier, India had boycotted the second edition of BRI summit and New Delhi remains persistent in its opposition to Xi's big initiative.

Within a fortnight of the key meeting, the two world leaders will have an opportunity to meet in Osaka, Japan at the G-20 summit. It may be noted that SCO summit will be PM Modi's first engagement abroad after his re-election as the Prime Minister. Interestingly, the PM could also meet his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in the city of Bishkek.

(Edited by: Nehal Solanki)

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