INDIA said today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in a regional summit in Uzbekistan that according to Russia will see face-to-face talks between Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, and Pakistan is due to take place in Samarkand on Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesday, Russia’s ambassador to China said Putin and Xi would meet at the summit, in what will be the Chinese leader’s first trip abroad since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beijing did not immediately confirm the meeting, with a spokesman saying at a regular press briefing that “there is no information to provide” on the matter.

The Indian government statement today did not say whether Modi would hold bilateral talks with Putin, Xi or – for the first time since he became Pakistani prime minister in April – Shehbaz Sharif. 

Sourcing most of its arms from Russia, India like China has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has ramped up purchases of Russian oil. 

India’s relations with China have been frosty since fighting in 2020 on their disputed Himalayan border left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. Modi and Xi have not held bilateral talks since 2019. 

India is also part of the so-called Quad together with the United States, Japan and Australia, a grouping seen as a bulwark against China. – AFP, September 11, 2022.