Handshake Diplomacy: What Modi and Xi's Meeting Signals
India-China Reset Bilateral Relations with a Clear Message
At the SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping presented a carefully curated display of cordiality, strategic intent, and subtle repositioning. Their interactions, both in public optics and private bilateral meetings, underscored an evolving approach in India-China ties and broader multipolar diplomacy.
Optics at Tianjin
The summit was marked by highly visible gestures—handshakes, smiles, and group photos of Modi, Xi, and Putin walking together, with Modi often at the center. These optics conveyed a message of unity among key non-Western powers, even as each leader carefully asserted independence. The deliberate bonhomie, including hugs and group walks, showcased India’s willingness to engage with China and Russia despite ongoing tensions with the United States, particularly after the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs on Indian goods.
Bilateral Meeting Messages
In their bilateral meeting, Modi told Xi that India is committed to improving ties based on mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s concerns. Xi reciprocated by expressing a desire to settle border disputes amicably, emphasizing that economic cooperation and partnership should take precedence over rivalry. Both agreed to work towards a stable relationship and to prevent border tensions from derailing broader cooperation.
Strategic Signaling
The summit and the Modi-Xi optics were a strategic message to multiple global players:
To the U.S., India demonstrated it has diplomatic alternatives and is willing to coordinate with both China and Russia if American policies are seen as coercive.
To Pakistan, Modi maintained a tough stance on terrorism, reaffirming India’s uncompromising line on security.
To China, India signaled that while cooperation is possible, it will resist any encroachment on its sovereignty or core interests, such as the Belt and Road Initiative in sensitive regions.
Aftermath and Global Perception
The prevailing global message was that India, China, and Russia intend to assert a multipolar order, challenging the idea of U.S. dominance. For Modi, these public interactions and the summit’s narrative reinforced India’s identity as an autonomous global actor: willing to align where interests converge, yet unafraid to confront or critique when core principles are at stake.
In sum, Modi and Xi’s Tianjin encounter blended symbolism with substance: the optics of warmth masked a reality of calculated, interest-driven engagement, and the messaging was twofold—cooperative overtures for the cameras, with quiet but firm safeguarding of national priorities behind closed doors.