Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared warm moments ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit’s plenary session in Tianjin on Sunday.
In a brief pull-aside conversation before the proceedings, the three leaders were seen engaged in light exchanges. President Putin and PM Modi greeted each other with a warm hug before walking together for the traditional family photograph of SCO member states.
The cordial interaction between Modi and Putin comes just hours ahead of their scheduled bilateral meeting following the plenary session. “Prime Minister will address the plenary session, outlining India’s approach to strengthening regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this, he will meet President Vladimir Putin before returning to India,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during a briefing.
On Saturday, PM Modi also held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. Both leaders welcomed the steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan during the BRICS Summit in October 2024.
Reaffirming their countries as development partners, Modi and Xi stressed that differences must not escalate into disputes. They underscored the need for cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity—principles vital not only for India-China ties but also for shaping a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world.
The two leaders also highlighted the importance of maintaining peace along the border to enable continued growth in bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction with last year’s successful disengagement and pledged to work toward a fair and mutually acceptable resolution of boundary issues.
The SCO currently comprises 10 full members: India, Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, alongside several dialogue partners and observers. India, which joined as a full member in 2017 after being an observer since 2005, has previously chaired both the SCO Council of Heads of Government (2020) and the Council of Heads of State (2022–23).
