ISTANBUL

China on Friday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “welcome” to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit later this month, amid rising trade tensions between India and the US.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing is confident the summit would be a “gathering of solidarity, friendship, and fruitful results.”

The SCO summit is scheduled for Aug. 31–Sept. 1 in China. Leaders from over 20 countries, including all SCO member states and 10 international organizations, are expected to attend.

The remarks followed media reports that Modi may travel to China for the summit, his first visit in seven years. There was no immediate confirmation from New Delhi.

Guo said the SCO is entering a “new stage of high-quality development” marked by “greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism, and productiveness.”

Founded in 2001, the SCO is a political and security alliance comprising 10 members: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.

The potential visit comes as ties between Washington and New Delhi strain. US President Donald Trump has accused India of “unfair trade practices” and criticized its purchases of Russian oil. The US imposed fresh tariffs on Indian goods earlier this month.

India and the US remain strategic partners, while New Delhi and Beijing have cautiously worked to stabilize relations after a deadly border clash in 2020 killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir.

Last month, India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals for the first time since 2020.