Xi and Modi make strange political bedfellows

A chill Cold War wind has blown into the Chinese northern port city of Tianjin. It was whipped up by President Xi Jinping during his opening address to 20 foreign leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.

They included the outcast Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been grappling with eye-watering 50% tariffs. They were imposed on India by US President Donald Trump for buying cheap oil from Russia.

As trade tensions increase with the United States and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine drags on, Xi is desperate to portray himself as a global peacemaker. His hypocrisy appears limitless in his confrontation with Washington.

“We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation, and bullying practices,” Xi said, perpetuating the usual propaganda spin that is ingrained in the politics of the ruling Communist Party.

Smile for the cameras:

• Away from the rhetoric, Modi was seen holding Putin’s hand as they walked toward Xi.
• All three smiled and joked as they spoke, surrounded by translators, Reuters reported.

To many observers, India has already become an internal cancer.

Liu Zongyi, of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies

Delve deeper: But that was for public consumption. There are still deep divisions between Beijing and New Delhi over border disputes, and “trust” runs only skin deep. The same can also be said of the “unpredictability of American politics” and Modi’s strained US ties.

Why it matters: Suspicion is always lurking behind the scenes when it comes to relations between China and India. After all, they have a checkered past, “complicated by the 2020 military standoff” on the Himalayan border.

Between the lines: Liu Zongyi, of the Center for South Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, was more direct in an article published in July on Guancha.cn and translated by Sinification.

Bottom line: “To many observers of international affairs, India has already become an internal cancer threatening the healthy development of the SCO,” he wrote.

Big picture: “Its ongoing border disputes with China, opposition to the Belt and Road Initiative, and long-standing tensions with Pakistan have made it a hindrance to effective internal coordination within the organization,” Liu pointed out.

China Factor comment: But then, New Delhi and Beijing appear to be odd bedfellows, sandwiched between a corrupt and contentious Moscow.