New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday set off for a two-day visit to Japan for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, saying the trip will help shape the next phase of ties between New Delhi and Tokyo.
PM Narendra Modi, who will be in Japan from 29 August to 30 August, will meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to further strengthen bilateral relations. “During my visit, we would focus on shaping the next phase in our Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which has made steady and significant progress over the past eleven years,” PM Modi said in his departing note.
He added that the two leaders will seek to give “new wings” to the India-Japan partnership, expand the scope and ambition of economic and investment ties, and advance cooperation in emerging technologies, including AI and semiconductors. “The visit will also be an opportunity to strengthen our civilizational bonds and cultural ties that connect our peoples,” PM Modi said.
The Indian diaspora is already awaiting the Prime Minister’s visit, ANI reported. “As an India, I feel very happy that PM Modi is visiting here… This will strengthen the India-Japan relationship,” an Indian in Japan was quoted by ANI as saying.
PM Modi on China visit
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, PM Modi will be in Japan from August 29 to 30, and then depart for China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
On his China leg, Narendra Modi said he will be in Tianjin at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and is looking forward to meeting him as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin. “India is an active and constructive member of SCO. During our Presidency, we have introduced new ideas and initiated collaboration in the fields of innovation, health and cultural exchanges,” he said. India remains committed to working with SCO members to address shared challenges and deepen regional cooperation, he added.
“I am confident that my visits to Japan and China would further our national interests and priorities, and contribute to building fruitful cooperation in advancing regional and global peace, security, and sustainable development,” PM Modi said in the statement.