Modi to speak with Lula, plans Xi meeting as ties with US sour

NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak with his Brazilian counterpart on Aug 7 and is expected to head to China for the first time in seven years in August, people familiar with the matter said, coming against the backdrop of worsening ties with the US.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plans to call Mr Modi on Aug 7 to talk about US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, officials in Brasilia and New Delhi said, asking not to be identified to discuss internal matters.

Mr Modi will also attend a summit of the Beijing-led regional security grouping – the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – and will be holding a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines, officials in New Delhi said.

The SCO summit is scheduled to be held in Tianjin on Aug 31 and Sept 1. 

India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking further comment.

While Mr Modi’s call with Mr Lula and the trip to China were previously scheduled, they take on added significance after Mr Trump

put a 50 per cent tariff rate on India

to penalise it for its trade barriers and purchases of Russian oil.

India has signalled it will not halt purchases of Russian energy and has described the US tariffs as “unjustified”.

India, Brazil, China and Russia are founding members of the Brics group of nations, which Mr Trump has slammed as being anti-US. Brazil has also been given a 50 per cent tariff rate by the US leader.

Mr Xi and Mr Modi

last met in October 2024

on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Russian city Kazan shortly after both countries agreed to pull back troops from the disputed Himalayan border.

The two sides have been stabilising ties since

a 2020 border clash

left 20 Indian and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers dead. 

India’s National Security Ajit Doval is currently in Moscow, while External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to visit there on a prior scheduled trip.

Mr Modi is expected to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in India later in 2025. BLOOMBERG