PM Modi, Xi Jinping and Putin Seen Sharing Light Moments at SCO Summit in Tianjin

Tianjin, Sept 2025 : New images from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin have highlighted a friendly exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The photographs captured the three leaders in a relaxed conversation on the sidelines of the event, offering a glimpse of their informal camaraderie.

The visuals, reminiscent of a similar photo taken during the BRICS Summit in Kazan earlier this year, show Putin on the left, Modi in the centre, and Xi on the right, walking together before pausing for the traditional SCO family photograph.

Sharing one of the pictures on X, PM Modi wrote: “Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit.”

The Prime Minister also posted a separate photograph of his meeting with President Putin, where both leaders were seen shaking hands and embracing warmly. He captioned it: “Always a delight to meet President Putin!”

Earlier in the day, Modi held talks with Xi Jinping, with both leaders agreeing to work towards resolving lingering border issues and to deepen cooperation in various areas. This visit marks PM Modi’s first trip to China since bilateral relations soured following the 2020 border clashes.

Ties between New Delhi and Beijing have been slowly stabilising since an understanding reached in Russia in 2024. That breakthrough included an agreement on fresh patrolling protocols along the 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), which helped ease a standoff that had lasted nearly four years.

The timing of this interaction has also drawn attention internationally. While the West continues efforts to isolate Russia diplomatically over the war in Ukraine, the United States has renewed tariff threats, adding further strain to global geopolitics.

Observers suggest that the informal exchanges between Modi, Xi, and Putin at the SCO Summit may carry symbolic significance, reflecting the possibility of closer coordination among the three powers at a time of shifting international alignments.