Overview

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin.
• Xi, quoted by Xinhua, urged closer ties and said China and India are partners, not rivals, while Modi voiced readiness to advance relations on the basis of respect, trust and consideration.
• Both sides framed the talks as a step toward deeper cooperation, with Modi noting a more peaceful border atmosphere and Xi saying the frontier dispute should not define the relationship.
• Indian officials emphasized strategic autonomy and multipolar engagement, as analysts linked the outreach partly to strained U.S.–India ties following steep U.S. tariffs.
• Reports of Air India shifting capacity from Washington to a new Beijing route remain unconfirmed, with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar saying decisions on flights are not settled.