Modi to visit Japan, China next week to attend key summits

Modi will be visiting Japan at the invitation of Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba.

He will visit Japan from August 29 and August 30.

"This will be Prime Minister Modi’s eighth visit to Japan, and the first Summit with Prime Minister Ishiba," read the statement.

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, MEA said.

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

"On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders attending the Summit," the statement said.

India has been a member of SCO since 2017.

It held the presidency of the Council of Heads of State of SCO during 2022-23.

This will be Modi's first visit to China since the Galwan clash in 2020.

Galwan Clash

The Galwan skirmish erupted from a dispute over a temporary bridge built by the Chinese in the Galwan River valley in Ladakh.

On June 15, 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a six-hour clash in the rugged terrain of Ladakh, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with makeshift weapons such as stones, batons, and iron rods.

The face-off occurred in near-complete darkness and freezing temperatures, leading to fatalities as soldiers fell or were pushed from ridges.

Twenty Indian soldiers were martyred in the clash, while China officially acknowledged four casualties, although reports indicate higher Chinese losses, as soldiers drowned in the choppy waters of the Galwan River.

Among the Indians, Colonel B Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer of the 16th Bihar Regiment, was martyred during the unprovoked aggression by PLA troops.

The Galwan clashes highlighted China's aggressive stance towards its neighbouring countries.

Many observers on social media noted similarities between the Chinese attack on Philippine navy ships and the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.