Putin and Modi in China for summit overshadowed by trade wars with US | BBC News

Key Concepts:

• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• US-China-India relations
• US Tariffs on India
• China-India border disputes
• Russia-China strategic alliance
• Global governance architecture
• BRICS expansion
• De-dollarization

1. SCO Summit in Tanzhin and Geopolitical Tensions:

• The SCO summit in Tanzhin, China, gathers world leaders from countries experiencing diplomatic tensions with the West, particularly the US.
• Vladimir Putin's rare trip outside Russia highlights the summit's significance.
• Leaders from Iran (condemned by Washington) and India (Prime Minister Modi) are also present.

2. India-China Relations and US Tariffs:

• Modi's visit to China is his first in seven years, coinciding with new US trade tariffs on India in response to India buying Russian oil and weapons.
• Modi and Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting, described by Chinese state media as successful, with both leaders agreeing on stable and far-reaching relations.
• The US tariffs create an opportunity for China to strengthen economic ties with India.

3. Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi Meeting Details:

• Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of friendship and good neighborliness between China and India, using the phrase "dragon and the elephant to come together."
• Modi highlighted the agreement reached by special representatives regarding border management to prevent future deadly clashes in the disputed border area.
• Direct flights between China and India will resume, aiming to increase tourism and student exchanges.
• Modi stated that cooperation between the two most populous nations (2.8 billion people) would benefit the entire global community.

4. Significance of China-India Rapprochement:

• The meeting is seen as a positive development compared to the sour relations between China and India in previous years.
• Anastasia Shapina notes that this development signifies a new stage in the SCO's evolution and China's ambition for it to become a new center of global governance, challenging the US-led Bretton Woods system.
• The SCO started in the 1990s as a union of five countries focused on fighting drug trafficking and terrorism along the Tajik-China border and borders with Central Asia. It evolved into the SCO in 2001, with broader security ambitions.

5. Russia's Role in the SCO and its Alliance with China:

• For Russia, the SCO summit is one of many meetings underscoring its close strategic alliance with China.
• The alliance has deepened since the early 2000s, particularly since 2022, with China supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine.
• China's economic partnership allows Russia to reorient its oil exports to China and India, mitigating the impact of Western sanctions.
• Without China's support, Russia would not be able to sustain the war in Ukraine.

6. Key Arguments and Perspectives:

• China's Perspective: Seeks to strengthen ties with India amidst US tariffs, positioning itself as an alternative economic partner and promoting the SCO as a new center of global governance.
• India's Perspective: Looking for alternative economic partners due to US tariffs and seeking to resolve border disputes with China to ensure regional stability.
• Russia's Perspective: Leveraging the SCO and its alliance with China to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and sustain its war effort in Ukraine.
• Anastasia Shapina's Perspective: The SCO is evolving into a significant platform for challenging the US-led global order, with China playing a central role.

7. Conclusion:

The SCO summit in Tanzhin highlights the shifting geopolitical landscape, with China seeking to strengthen ties with India and Russia amidst tensions with the West. The China-India rapprochement and the deepening Russia-China alliance underscore the SCO's potential to become a significant force in global governance, challenging the existing US-led order. The US tariffs on India have inadvertently created an opportunity for China to expand its influence and reshape regional alliances.