The Indian delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit will not attend a Chinese military parade marking 80 years since the end of World War II, to be held in Beijing on Wednesday, Jiji Press has learned.
Sources from the Indian government said Monday that India regards the parade as an event marking China's victory over Japan, and that it has no intention of hurting Tokyo.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the SCO meeting soon after visiting Japan, will not be attending the parade either, according to the sources.
New Delhi's relations with the United States deteriorated after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration imposed hefty tariffs on India over its purchases of crude oil from Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, there have been reports that India's ties with China, with which it has a territorial border row, are improving.
The Indian government apparently plans to skip the parade out of consideration for Tokyo, as concerns mount over the fate of "the Quad" cooperative framework, which comprises Japan, India, the United States and Australia.
At the latest summit of the SCO, a framework led by China and Russia, the heads of over 20 countries gathered over two days through Monday and signaled opposition to the Trump administration, which is ramping up protectionist policies. Many leaders who took part in the SCO meeting are expected to attend Wednesday's parade.
Modi visited Japan for two days through Saturday. He emphasized the strength of ties between the two Asian countries in a news conference following a meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, saying that they share a common dream.
Ishiba and Modi traveled together on a Shinkansen bullet train Saturday to visit Miyagi Prefecture and inspect a semiconductor plant.
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