TIANJIN: Visuals and photos from the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in this port city of China have drawn global attention, signalling personal equations, levels of ease and communication among the grouping’s powerful leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday engaged in a warm exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit even as geopolitical implications and meanings would surely be decoded in Washington, particularly as President Donald Trump ratchets up trade tensions with New Delhi.
Photographs and videos showed visible camaraderie among the three heavyweight leaders – President Putin, PM Modi and President Xi -- while several world leaders observed them from the side-lines. As it is often said that in politics and diplomacy, no action or word is without a meaning. In this context, Putin and Modi entering the SCO summit together—unlike other leaders—has left many wondering about the possible cues.
All leaders had entered individually, shaking hands with Xi before proceeding to the meeting hall. Just as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif entered and greeted Xi, to everyone’s surprise, PM Modi entered alongside Putin, forming a huddle with President Xi that left other leaders uncertain whether to intervene. Seeing that the trio were engaged in animated discussion, the remaining leaders proceeded to their respective spots.
In one of the videos going viral from the summit, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seen looking on with a grim expression as PM Modi engaged in an animated informal chat minutes ahead of the plenary session of the summit. The two leaders -- Modi and Putin -- all smiles, are seen entering the SCO meeting hand in hand at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre.
PM Modi also posted photographs of himself with President Putin and President Xi, highlighting the friendly exchange and wrote, “Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit.”