China to host Modi and Putin at SCO in show of Global South unity amid Trump tariffs

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to welcome over 20 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads-of-state summit in Tianjin from Aug 31 to Sep 1.

This summit will be the first in over seven years to host Modi in China, signaling renewed diplomacy between the two countries.

The gathering comes amid escalating trade tensions with the United States. Analysts say Xi intends to use the event as a “powerful show of Global South solidarity,” presenting a visual counterpoint to US pressure on China, India, and Russia under President Trump's tariff policies.

This will be Modi’s first visit to China since border clashes in 2020 escalated tensions. The summit provides an opportunity to defuse these frictions and possibly open discussions on troop withdrawals, relaxed trade, and visa rules—a move experts consider a cautious but deliberate thaw.

The SCO summit is also expected to reaffirm the bloc’s expansion, discussing deeper economic and security cooperation among member states.

Additionally, initiative-driven groupings like BRICS and the RIC (Russia-India-China trilateral) are likely to receive renewed attention as strategic platforms for non-Western cooperation.