SCO stands for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This year, the SCO is holding its meeting in China, which began on Sunday, August 31, 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to China on Saturday to attend the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, a major port city.
The summit began on Sunday, and it will conclude on Monday, September 1, 2025. This is PM Modi's first visit to China in the last seven years, following the incident in the Galwan Valley between India and China. The Galwan Valley incident took place in 2020 when the conflict between the two countries broke out at the border area of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
PM Modi visited Japan
PM Modi attended the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo on August 29, 2025. PM Modi went for a two-day official visit to Japan, where he was warmly welcomed by the enthusiastic Indian diaspora, who greeted him with slogans and cheers. PM Modi met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and the two leaders discussed the bilateral ties, security, trade, technology, and more.
PM Modi met Xi Jinping
Prime Minister Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for bilateral talks on Sunday. The meeting began with a firm handshake and focused on the global economic situation. Both leaders discussed ways to strengthen the economic and commercial relationship amid evolving challenges. Prior to this, they had met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.
The breakthrough in bilateral talks was made possible after India and China reached an agreement on patrolling along the 3, 500- km LAC to end the four-year-long border confrontation. PM Modi also met the Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO summit. Both leaders exchanged handshakes, hugs, and smiles.
What is the meaning of SCO?
The SCO is a Eurasian security and political group. Its origin can be traced to the Shanghai Five group, which included China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. These countries formed a mutual security agreement in 1996. After that, the leaders of the Shanghai Five, along with Uzbekistan, met in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, and announced the formation of a new, more comprehensive organisation.
SCO's members, observers, and dialogue partners
China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are the founding members of the SCO. But in June 2001, the group evolved into the SCO, including Uzbekistan. In 2017, the group expanded to include India and Pakistan, and in 2023, Iran, and in 2024, Belarus were also added as full members.
In addition, the organisation has 14 key dialogue partners, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Myanmar, Qatar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Turkiye. Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia are the observer countries. SCO member states account for 43 per cent of the world's population and a quarter of the global economy.
