Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, urging decisive action against terror financing and radicalisation.
The two-day summit, attended by over 20 leaders from non-Western countries, highlighted Beijing’s push for a new global security and economic order challenging the US.
This marks the fifth time China has hosted an SCO summit and the largest gathering since the organisation’s founding.
Citing the recent Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi urged SCO member states to hold countries supporting cross-border terrorism accountable and congratulated Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency.
The Summit addressed SCO Development Strategy, global governance reforms, counter-terrorism, peace and security, economic cooperation, and sustainable development. Modi outlined India’s approach under three pillars, Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity, stressing that peace and stability are essential for prosperity and calling for coordinated action against terrorism without double standards.
On connectivity, he reaffirmed support for projects like Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, highlighting opportunities in start-ups, innovation, youth empowerment, and shared heritage. He proposed a Civilizational Dialogue Forum to strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties, supported SCO’s reforms against organised crime, drug trafficking, and cyber threats, and urged similar reforms in global institutions, including the UN.
Modi thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for hosting the Summit and reiterated congratulations to Kyrgyzstan. The member states adopted the Tianjin Declaration at the conclusion of the Summit.
PM Modi meets Xi during first China visit in 7 years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this morning during his first visit to China in seven years, amid rising US tariffs that have brought the two Asian neighbours closer.
The leaders met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin, a day after Modi’s arrival, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other global leaders also attending. The hour-long meeting focused on enhancing cooperation, with Modi stating that the interests of 2.8 billion people in both countries are linked and emphasising mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity as the foundation for future relations.
PM Modi and Xi Jinping met for the first time in about 10 months, their last encounter being at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. Modi recalled that their Kazan talks were “very fruitful” and gave a positive direction to New Delhi-Beijing ties. The meeting comes amid a thaw in relations since the 2020 Galwan clashes, focusing on border stability, the resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and direct flights. Experts say the talks carry broader regional implications, with India positioned as a balancing power at SCO and BRICS. Modi highlighted that stable India-China ties can benefit regional and global peace and prosperity.
Modi also met Cai Qi, a top Politburo member and close ally of Xi, widely seen as Xi’s right-hand man. Indian authorities said Modi shared his vision for bilateral ties and sought Cai’s support, while Cai reaffirmed China’s desire to expand exchanges in line with the leaders’ consensus. A planned banquet was replaced with a brief meeting due to scheduling conflicts. The visit follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent trip to India, which further normalised ties.
Putin calls Modi “dear friend” amid SCO summit
PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the strength of India-Russia ties during their bilateral meeting. Putin greeted Modi as his “dear friend” and emphasised decades of friendly and trusting relations. Modi welcomed efforts to end the war in Ukraine and reiterated his support for a peaceful settlement during a recent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Modi described the meeting as “excellent,” highlighting discussions on cooperation in trade, fertilisers, space, security, and culture. He stressed that the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” remains a cornerstone of regional and global stability.
Modi hold talks with Myanmar leader, urges fair elections
PM Modi met Myanmar’s acting president and military leader Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, and expressed hope that the upcoming elections will be fair and inclusive. They also discussed defence cooperation and border management.
On the sidelines of the SCO summit, Modi emphasised India’s support for a Myanmar-led peace process, noting that dialogue and consultation are key. He highlighted the importance of India-Myanmar ties under its Neighborhood First, Act East, and Indo-Pacific policies.
AI and infrastructure take centre stage at SCO
The Tianjin Declaration of the SCO Council reaffirmed commitments to strengthen AI cooperation, emphasising “equal rights of all countries to develop and use AI.” This follows Premier Li Qiang’s proposal last month to create an organization to coordinate global AI regulation.
SCO members pledged to reduce AI risks, improve security and accountability, and implement a roadmap for joint AI development. Beijing also proposed a collaboration center for AI applications and promoting open-source AI models.
Additionally, some member states agreed to establish an SCO development bank, aiming to reduce reliance on the US dollar. While smaller than the AIIB, it reflects China’s ambition to lead a new global governance framework. Beijing also pledged 2 billion yuan in aid this year and 10 billion yuan in loans over the next three years.
India strengthens ties with China and Russia
Chinese, Russian, and Indian leaders met in Beijing, projecting unity and signaling a new world order aimed at providing an alternative to American hegemony. With Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and foreign policy moves shaking the old order, the three nations see a strategic moment to strengthen their ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared cordial and confident as he interacted with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The optics are significant: all three leaders maintain frosty relations with the US, and the image recalled a similar moment at the 2018 BRICS Summit. Analysts noted that the photo underscored India’s broader diplomatic ties, including with China, despite lingering border disputes, particularly as the Trump administration threatens to alienate New Delhi with tariffs.
The SCO Summit highlighted global power dynamics, with Modi emerging as a central figure while Pakistan appeared sidelined. Although Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif attended, there was no handshake or bilateral meeting with Modi. A video showed Modi speaking to Putin while seemingly ignoring Sharif, and another captured Sharif’s awkward handshake with the Russian president. During the Day 1 “leaders” photo, Modi stood in the front row alongside Putin and Xi Jinping, while Sharif, also in the front row, was separated from Modi by at least eight leaders.
During official engagements, Modi and Putin shared a warm hug and even traveled together in a Russian-made Aurus sedan to the Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin, where they held bilateral talks. Modi later posted on X about the unusual carpool, noting the “insightful” discussions with Putin. Sources reported that Putin waited for Modi before departing, highlighting the closeness of the India-Russia relationship amid US pressure.
The summit occurs as US-India ties face further friction. Trump recently doubled tariffs on Indian goods, citing India’s oil imports from Russia as indirectly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The Indian government criticised the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” warning that the tariffs, affecting more than $48 billion in exports, could make trade commercially unviable, cause job losses, and slow growth in the world’s fifth-largest economy. The tariffs could also impact China, the US’s largest trading partner. Hours after PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin amid 50% US tariffs on India, President Donald Trump criticised US-India trade, calling it a “one-sided disaster.”
Trump said on Truth Social: “India sells us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client’, but we sell them very little, a totally one-sided relationship for many decades.”
Trump added that India’s high tariffs have blocked US businesses, calling the situation a “totally one-sided disaster.” He also noted that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, not the US, and said India’s recent offer to cut tariffs to zero “comes years too late.”
Adding to tensions, the US has been publicly supportive of Pakistan. Trump even claimed credit for preventing war between India and Pakistan, though the Indian administration stated it was Pakistan who initiated dialogue with India, not the US. This claim strained US-India relations further, highlighting the diplomatic rift caused by perceived US partiality towards Pakistan. According to the German newspaper ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine’, US President Donald Trump reportedly tried at least four times in recent weeks to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone, but the Indian leader declined. The Mainz-based paper suggested Modi’s refusal reflects both the depth of his anger and a sense of caution.
The attempts by President Trump to talk to PM Modi came even as his administration hit India with 50% tariffs, the highest for any country other than Brazil.
However, a US appeals court recently ruled that most of Trump’s tariffs, including those in India, China, Mexico, and Canada, were illegal. In a 7-4 decision, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found that the tariffs violated law, rejecting Trump’s claim that they were authorized under emergency economic powers. The ruling will take effect on 14 October, allowing time for the administration to appeal to the US Supreme Court, potentially reshaping the administration’s foreign trade agenda.
Amid these tensions, the India-China-Russia meetings underscore a strategic alignment where mutual economic and diplomatic interests take precedence over Washington’s pressure, especially as India defends its energy and trade interests while maintaining a multipolar approach to global diplomacy.
Speaking to Asian Voice about the evolving relationship between India, China, and Russia shaping the emerging “new world order”, Professor Nitasha Kaul of University of Westminster said, “The evolving relationship between Russia, India, and China is not new. This has been in the making for several years now, what is new at present is the strategic significance of this as perceived by important western actors, in particular, the United States under President Trump. Further, the geopolitical alignments between Russia and China were acutely visible in recent years, the new development here is India's relatively more open signalling towards a purportedly anti-western New World order, especially through high profile diplomacy and summitry. Narratives of crisis (for example, the current one about the crisis of the international order) can serve many functions, and in the medium term, an implication of this might be more coherence in the different power groupings accompanied by greater contestation and conflict in a range of domains.”
On the impact of Trump’s decision to double tariffs on India, Prof Kaul said, “Trump’s high-pressure, transactional approach prioritises US nationalist interests over previously professed values. The tariffs are more significant for India than the global balance of power, making it harder for India to hedge between the US, Russia, and China, especially given India-Russia resource partnerships amid Ukraine. Modi’s personalist foreign policy has been inconsistent, though domestic supporters are unlikely to notice. This may fuel anti-Western sentiment in India. Meanwhile, the UK and Europe remain on stable footing with India. Ultimately, India’s business elite benefit most from its strategic choices, while average citizens face economic hardship linked to these policy failures.”
Dr Gunjan Sondhi, Director of the Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice at the Open University, said, “India, China, and Russia have been gradually strengthening ties, working more closely amid the shifting geopolitical landscape. For the Indian diaspora, this opens opportunities to explore business and technology ventures beyond the US, with access to larger markets and a potentially more stable environment for trade.”
