China's President Xi Jinping will attend the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) next week, hosted by India. This will be the first time that President Xi has attended the SCO meeting via video conference on an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc, established in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan later joined the organisation as permanent members in 2017.

India holds the rotating Presidency of the organisation this year and has recently inaugurated an exquisitely designed “New Delhi Hall” at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing. This hall has been designed with patterns and motifs representing the rich architectural craftsmanship found throughout India. External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar said the hall has been designed to be a “mini-India”, showcasing various facets of Indian culture. Last year, the in-person SCO summit took place in the Uzbek city of Samarkand and was attended by the top leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

In September, India will host the G20 summit and Prime Minister Modi has invited Xi and Putin to attend, alongside other leaders of the bloc. The theme of the summit is 'Towards a SECURE SCO', which has been highlighted during India's chairmanship of the SCO. This virtual SCO summit will be an important opportunity for the members to discuss the theme of security, and other common interests. It is expected to be a successful meeting, providing the opportunity for the member states to come together and make progress towards shared goals.