New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in China on Saturday for his first visit in seven years that will see him holding meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin and participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The visit, also the first by the PM since India and China became embroiled in a military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in April-May 2020, has taken on greater significance because of the sudden souring of India-US relations over President Donald Trump's decision to double tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% punitive levy over purchases of Russian oil. Modi flew into the Chinese city of Tianjin, the venue of the SCO Summit, from Japan, where he and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled a slew of initiatives to ramp up economic cooperation, including a target of Japanese private investments of $68 billion over a decade and an Economic Security Initiative, amid the uncertainty created by the trade policies of the US. Soon after landing in Tianjin, Modi said in a social media post: "Looking forward to deliberations at the SCO Summit and meeting various world leaders." External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Modi's visit is a "testament to our constructive and proactive role in SCO". Modi and Xi, who last met two days after India and China reached an understanding last October on ending the face-off at the border, will hold talks on Sunday afternoon. Further measures to normalise India-China ties, including active management of the border to ensure peace, and preserving the global economic order amid the turbulence created by US trade policies are expected to figure in the meeting, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. This meeting is a follow-up to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's visit to India this month, when the two sides agreed on several initiatives, including an "early harvest" in delimitation of the disputed border, early resumption of direct flights and promotion of trade and investment flows, the people said. In the context of the border, the people said, the situation has been "broadly stable", and there is a recognition on both sides of the need to keep the LAC peaceful through active management measures. The two sides are now expected to discuss ways to build on the progress made since last year, they said. While the two sides have agreed on the resumption of direct flights, this is still linked to an updated air services agreement, which is now in the final stages of negotiation, the people said. However, the bilateral engagements in Tianjin should not be seen as a pivot away from the US towards China and Russia, the people said. There are also no plans for any discussions at any level under the Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism, they said. Besides the bilateral meeting with Xi, Modi will join other SCO leaders for an official reception on Sunday evening that could bring him face to face with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also in Tianjin, for the first time since the hostilities between the two countries in May following India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan after 26 civilians were killed in the Pahalgam attack. On Monday, Modi will participate in the SCO Summit and subsequently hold a bilateral meeting with Putin. Bolstering India-Russia cooperation in trade and defence, the US pressure on India over Russian oil purchases and Putin's planned visit to India for an annual summit are expected to figure in the meeting. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday that preparations for Putin's planned visit to India in December will be discussed when he meets Modi. Indian officials have said they expect the SCO Summit to strongly condemn cross-border terrorism in keeping with the founding principles of the bloc. SCO was formed by China, Russia and several Central Asian states in 2001 with the stated aim of countering terrorism, separatism and extremism. While the bloc's charter doesn't allow raising of bilateral issues, India has pushed for condemnation of cross-border terrorism in joint statements and documents adopted by the 10-member bloc. "As far as the declaration at this summit is concerned, that is under finalisation. We are working with other members and partners to see that there should be a reiteration of the strong condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism," Tanmaya Lal, secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, told reporters this week....