External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday and apprised him of the “recent development” in bilateral ties. Jaishankar had also attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin with other Foreign Ministers.
At the SCO Council, he stated that the organisation was founded to combat “terrorism, separatism and extremism,” adding that it is imperative that the SCO remains true to its founding objectives and takes an uncompromising position on this challenge.
He noted that India witnessed a “graphic example in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. It was deliberately conducted to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir, while sowing a religious divide.”
The UN Security Council had issued a statement that condemned the attack in the strongest terms and “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice”, Jaishankar stated.
The SCO comprises 10 member states namely China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar was also at the SCO meeting.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar added that “We have since done exactly that and will continue doing so.” India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, leading to four days of hostilities with Pakistan, which is currently a member of the UN Security Council, before the two countries reached an understanding on May 10.
The EAM stated that the SCO meeting happened at a time of considerable disorder in the international system as conflicts, competition and coercion has increased in the past few years and economic instability is also on the rise. “The challenge before us is to stabilize the global order, de-risk various dimensions and through it all, address longstanding challenges that threaten our collective interests.”
He noted that India will continue to positively approach new ideas and proposals that are genuinely for the collective good.
Jaishankar also mentioned that the world is moving towards greater multi-polarity, not just in terms of redistribution of national capacities, but also the emergence of effective groupings like SCO. He said that the contribution of the group to shaping world affairs will depend on how well all can come together on a shared agenda.
EAM noted that deepening collaboration within the SCO requires more trade, investment and exchanges and for that, it is imperative that current issues be addressed. “One of them is the lack of assured transit within the SCO space. Its absence undermines the seriousness of advocating cooperation in economic areas. Another is to ensure the promotion of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC),” he stated.
INSTC spans 7,200 kilometres and uses multiple modes of transport to facilitate the movement of goods between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. India has consistently backed the initiative and has advocated connecting the corridor to Iran’s Chabahar port, where a terminal is managed by an Indian government-owned company.
Xi also met with Foreign Ministers and heads of standing bodies of the SCO, according to a Xinhua report.
“He noted that over the past 24 years since its founding, the SCO has always upheld the Shanghai Spirit, grown into a mature and robust organization, and demonstrated strong vitality,” The Indian Express quoted.
“China has always prioritized the SCO in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is committed to making the organization more substantive and stronger, safeguarding regional security and stability, promoting the development and prosperity of member states and building a closer community with a shared future,” Xi said.
He stated that since China took over the rotating presidency last July, it has been proactive in launching initiatives and deepening cooperation, with all sides making steady progress toward building a stronger, shared home for the SCO.
As the SCO Summit is scheduled to be held in Tianjin this year, Xi "expressed his hope to meet the leaders of other member states at the event to discuss the future development of the SCO.”
Just a day earlier, on Monday, Jaishankar, in talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, acknowledged that India and China have made significant headway over the past nine months in moving towards normalising their bilateral ties. He also emphasised the need to continue efforts to ease tensions along the border.
Jaishankar stressed that differences must not be allowed to turn into disputes and that competition should never escalate into conflict.
In a post on X, he mentioned, “Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO Foreign Ministers. Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu & Prime Minister .”
Jaishankar’s visit to China was the first since bilateral ties were hit by border skirmishes in April-May 2020. However, he had met Wang on the sidelines of multilateral events several times since the two sides reached an understanding on ending a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in October 2024.
