Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.
It is for the first time the Indian prime minister attended the SCO summit after India along with Pakistan became full-fledged members of the grouping, jointly dominated by China and Russia, which has been increasingly seen as a counter to NATO.
Modi arrived here in the afternoon on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Describing his latest China visit as a new beginning for India, PM Modi said he was excited to lead the Indian delegation for their first-ever meeting of the Council as a full member.
PM Narendra Modi leaves for SCO Summit in China
Although both have met over a dozen times as leaders of their countries, the Saturday meeting in Qingdao comes just a little over two months after the "ice-breaking" informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
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