Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to come face-to-face virtually at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on November 10. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said Modi will lead the Indian delegation at the summit.
"The prime minister will lead the Indian delegation to the 20th summit of the SCO council of heads of state which will be held in the virtual format on Nov 10. The meeting will be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. India has been focusing on expanding its cooperation with the SCO, an eight-nation regional grouping, that represents around 42 per cent of the world's population and 20 per cent of the global GDP.
The Chinese delegation at the summit is expected to be led by President Jinping. The SCO summit is taking place at a time when India and China, two of the bloc's members, are engaged in a tense border standoff for over six months in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the row. However, no breakthrough has been achieved to end the standoff.
Srivastava said India will host a summit of the council of heads of government of the SCO on November 30 in the virtual format in which prime ministers of the member countries of the bloc will participate. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of SCO in 2017. Modi and Xi are expected to come face-to-face virtually during the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit on November 17, and the G20 summit on November 22.
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