Xi, Putin and Modi Huddle in Tianjin as China Pitches SCO Unity

Show of Solidarity Comes as US Reshapes Alliances, Wages Tariff War

- Michelle Ng

The leaders of China, India, and Russia sought to project unity on Sept 1 at a time when their countries are being hit by US President Donald Trump's tariffs or, in Moscow's case, sweeping Western sanctions.

That solidarity was most clearly seen in the Tianjin declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which condemned the Israeli and US strikes on Iran in June 2025 as well as terrorism in the form of the Pahalgam attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people in April 2025.

"Such unity in condemning Israel and the US had not been seen before, and it could be interpreted as a shift in India's stance after being hit with tariffs by Washington," said Mr Claus Soong, an analyst in the foreign relations team at German think-tank Merics. He added that the condemnation of the Pahalgam attack "gives India sufficient recognition to feel respected."

New Delhi had broken ranks in June when it refused to sign the SCO joint statement because it did not reflect the country's concerns on terrorism, particularly after it omitted the Pahalgam attack.

But equally noticeable is that India did not join the rest of the SCO member states in supporting China's Belt and Road Initiative, a reminder of ongoing structural issues in China-India relations.

Earlier, in the most closely watched interaction at the summit, host Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi huddled together on the red carpet for a few minutes, smiling, chatting, and gesturing before heading off for a group photo at the meeting venue.

Mr Modi had at one point also held Mr Putin's hand as they walked up the red carpet.