Isolation, They Said: Xi Embraces Putin & Modi In Major China Summit – Trump Responds

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, held from August 31 to September 1, was clearly an economic ‘show of force’ aimed at the West, which included the typical formal greetings and speeches, and group photos – but also with some not so subtle messaging.

Amid the chummy atmosphere which saw Presidents Xi, Modi, and Putin share hugs, handshakes, and warm moments filled with laughter, it is intent on signaling to the world a major shift away from US-led global dominance and toward a multipolar world increasingly shaped by Asia, Eurasia, and the Global South, also coming at a moment Washington is threatening severe secondary sanctions on any nation doing business with Russia.

The populations of China, India, and Russia represent over a third of the global population alone, and heads of state from over 20 more countries were also represented, among them Belarus and Slovakia.

Russian President Putin at one point hailed it as a summit of “authentic multilateralism” and called for a new Eurasian security framework free from Western influence. Indian Prime Minister Modi’s presence was a first in many years.

The NY Times described “a scene in eastern China almost certainly intended for an audience on the other side of the world: The leaders of China, Russia and India, the three largest powers not aligned with the West, smiling and laughing like good friends as they greeted each other at a summit on Monday.”

The publication went on: “It starts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia holding hands and walking into a meeting hall filled with other world leaders. They head straight for President Xi Jinping of China, shake hands and form a close circle. A few words are exchanged before translators join the huddle. Mr. Putin cracks a broad smile, and Mr. Modi lets out a big laugh. At one point, Mr. Modi joins hands with the two leaders.”

The Times further says the SCO summit has “given China and Russia a platform to rally partners such as Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Pakistan.”

Putin & Modi share warm embrace

Did someone say tariffs? https://t.co/X58RZklRVA pic.twitter.com/AkKukBkEVC

— RT (@RT_com) September 1, 2025

Various state media outlets have been emphasizing this theme of standing up to America’s military and economic might. For example, Russian state media, interviewing a China analyst, said:

China and India can now stand together against US hegemony — Wang Wen, Executive Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies

“The Dragon and Elephant ‘have the wisdom’ to resolve their differences and border conflicts.”

China’s Xi in his opening speech urged the attendees to stand against the “Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying.” He urged for the organization to “forge ahead’ amid “global upheaval.”

All of this is of course happening amid the backdrop of the Ukraine war, and China is one of the few places Putin can freely go and enjoy the red carpet, where Global South heads of state clamor for a handshake with him, or photo op.

One Moscow-based Wester journalist captioned a photo, ironically: Isolation, today in China.

Contrast this with the sad image of European leaders being collectively and ceremoniously humiliated at the White House last week https://t.co/3lIjcnJsGD

— Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) August 31, 2025

However, Gautam Bambawale, India’s former ambassador to China, cautioned in an interview with CNBC: “The dragon and the elephant are not dancing as yet. They are just looking at each other from opposite sides of a room and trying to assess what are the implications of the relationship between the two? It’s going to take time to bring the relationship back on track.”

Still, the years-long trend has been that the more Washington ramps up pressure and the threat of sanctions on both, the faster that historic tensions and divides are healed.

Group photo as Putin and Xi inseparable…

JUST IN: 🇨🇳 World leaders take group photo at SCO summit in China. pic.twitter.com/VcZJIuO6L9

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) August 31, 2025

Russian media has framed the optics as follows:

The pitch: Xi is promoting an order that “democratizes” global governance and reduces dependence on US-centric finance (think: less dollar gravity, more regional institutions). Putin called the SCO a vehicle for “genuine multilateralism” and Eurasian security. By calling China a partner rather than a rival, Modi signaled New Delhi won’t be locked into Washington’s anti-China agenda.

The audience: More than 20 non-Western leaders were in the room, with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres endorsing the event organisation – not a club meeting in the shadows, but a UN-centered frame at a China-led forum.

President Trump responded to the clear messaging of ‘friendship’ and ‘unity’ among China, Russia, and India on Monday – writing on Truth Social, “What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us.” He added that the US remains India’s “biggest client.”

Vice President JD Vance featured the somewhat defensive statement on X as well…

“The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago,” Trump posted.

As for Modi, he wrote on X just following the close of the summit, “Held an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin. We discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all spheres, including trade, fertilizers, space, security, and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global processes, including the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.”