Summit Highlights: China, India, Russia, and Trump
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened in Tianjin, China, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, showcasing a new coalition of major Eurasian powers in the face of escalating Western competition and economic pressure from US President Donald Trump.
- The meeting marked Xi’s call for China, Russia, India, and other regional states to join forces to reshape the global order and challenge US-led dominance, highlighting their shared interests in economic cooperation and opposition to sanctions.
- President Trump has recently imposed steep tariffs on Indian imports and penalized India for its purchase of Russian oil, in an effort to counter both China’s rising influence and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Key Developments Involving India
- Modi and Xi held their first bilateral meeting in seven years, signaling a warming in Sino-Indian relations after years of border tensions; both leaders emphasized stability, mutual respect, and economic collaboration as central to their partnership.
- Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to maintaining neutrality on the Ukraine conflict—balancing ties with both Russia and the West—while asserting India’s right to independent energy and trade policies despite Trump’s economic measures.
- India’s participation alongside China and Russia at the SCO underscores its desire for a multipolar world order and signals a shift away from US-centric alliances, particularly as Quad tensions linger.
Putin’s Role and US Dynamics
- Putin, facing ongoing Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, used the summit to strengthen Moscow’s ties with Beijing and New Delhi and to highlight Russia’s continued support among major Asian countries.
- The three leaders—Xi, Putin, and Modi—demonstrated unity against the backdrop of Trump’s tariffs, Western pressure, and their evolving trade and diplomatic alliances.
- The summit’s optics and diplomatic messages signal to the world the growing significance of Eurasian cooperation, with China at the helm offering an alternative to US-led global structures.
This rewritten news spotlights the strategic intersection and involvement of India, China, Trump, and Putin at a pivotal moment in global geopolitics, emphasizing their roles in shaping a new international order.