Tianjin/New Delhi: Ahead of the SCO Summit’s plenary session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin exchanged a warm hug, signaling the strength of their bilateral relationship.
Sharing pictures on X, PM Modi described his interaction with the Russian leader as “always a delight to meet him.”
The two leaders then walked together to the stage for the traditional family photo of SCO member states.
The cordial interaction came ahead of their scheduled bilateral meeting, which is set to take place following the plenary session. Prime Minister Modi is slated to address the summit, where he will outline India’s vision for strengthening regional cooperation within the SCO framework, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
“Prime Minister Modi will present India’s approach to fostering greater collaboration in the region, emphasizing peace, stability, and shared development,” Misri said.
PM Modi also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders hailed the growing momentum in India-China relations.
India and China today reaffirmed that they are development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes, even as they stressed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas.
In their second bilateral meeting in less than a year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping today laid the groundwork for further opening up of their bilateral ties, including through working towards resolving the boundary question, and resuming direct flights.
Meeting in Tianjin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Prime Minister Modi also emphasised on the two sides pursuing “strategic autonomy” and that their relations should not be seen through a third country lens.
This is significant as India wants that its close relations with the US and Japan, and its growing close economic ties with Taiwan, should be seen independently.
Notably, Prime Minister Modi “underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations”.
According to an Indian readout, both leaders “welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan in October 2024”, referring to the meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, following the understanding reached on disengagement of their troops on the border.
“A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China and their 2.8 billion peoples on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity are necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multi-polar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century.
“The two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then.
“They expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples.
“They recognized the important decisions taken by the two Special Representatives in their Talks earlier this month, and agreed to further support their efforts,” in reference to the meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese FM Wang Yi in New Delhi. They also noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visa.
“On economic and trade relations, they recognized the role of their two economies to stabilize world trade,” the statement said, coming amid the global chaos following the steep US tariffs imposed on world economies, including India and China.
In a further show of cooperation, PM Modi invited President Xi to the 2026 BRICS Summit in India. With 10 member states now, the SCO continues to serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration, with India becoming a member in 2017.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) currently has 10 member states — India, Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, the grouping includes several dialogue partners and observer states.
India, which became a full member of the SCO in 2017 after holding observer status since 2005, has actively contributed to the organisation’s agenda. It chaired the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023.
