China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced that President Xi Jinping will preside over the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled to take place in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, 2025.
The ministry confirmed that Xi will chair both the SCO summit and the “SCO Plus” meeting, delivering keynote speeches, hosting a welcome banquet, and holding bilateral meetings with participating leaders.
At Xi’s invitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China to attend the summit. On the sidelines, Modi is expected to hold bilateral discussions with several heads of state and government.
India, which became a full member of the SCO in 2017, held the presidency of the organisation’s Council of Heads of State during 2022–23.
The announcement follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India from August 18–19, during which he met Modi and handed over Xi’s formal invitation. Wang also conveyed his positive assessment of discussions held with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the 24th Meeting of the Special Representatives, which he co-chaired with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The Tianjin summit will bring together SCO leaders for high-level deliberations on regional security, economic cooperation, and strategic engagement among member states.