East Ascendant: Modi, Xi, and Putin Reveal New Power Axis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese and Russian President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at SCO Summit! (Image PMO)
As Trump fumbles diplomacy, the SCO stage in Tianjin showcases the East’s resurgence—with Modi clasping hands with Xi and Putin, affirming a shifting global order where Asia reclaims center stage.
By TRH Global Affairs Desk
NEW DELHI, September 1, 2025 — Centuries after colonial exploitation drained its wealth and dignity, the East is reclaiming its place as the center of global power. From India and China to Russia and beyond, ancient civilizations are forging a new axis of influence built on resilience, cooperation, and multipolar ambition.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin clasped hands in a show of unity—a symbolic image that underscored a changing world order. While Washington obsesses over Trump’s erratic diplomacy, Beijing projected confidence, hosting bilateral meetings and proposing deeper trust, win-win cooperation, and stability.
Former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul bluntly asked how Trump had “so alienated Modi” that he now aligns with Xi and Putin. Indian diplomat Yogesh Gupta accused Trump of imperial arrogance, while academic Nitasha Kaul argued Modi has long avoided confronting Xi, with Trump merely serving as a convenient foil. Analysts like Evan Feigenbaum and Ryan Haas pointed out that Tianjin was more than symbolism—it was a hub of intense diplomatic activity across Asia, revealing how China is capitalizing on America’s distractions.
For many, the SCO summit is more than an annual ritual. It is a declaration: the East is no longer the periphery—it is the center.
Xi had the architecture ready to shift the global strategic pivot from Washington to Beijing. Trump provided the multiplier effect, as his transactional bullying alienated almost all U.S. allies. The Quad now stands on the verge of collapse. To rub salt into Trump’s wounds, Modi drew Xi and Putin into a close confabulation at the SCO dinner gala.
For Modi, commentators seem to be borrowing from Mario Puzo’s Godfather: “Revenge is best served cold.” Trump is, for all practical purposes, stranded in global geopolitics.
By orchestrating SCO unity, Modi handed Xi a gift decades in the making, turning the summit into a grand success. Suddenly, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) “debt trap” no longer dominates foreign affairs commentary. Until a year ago, television anchors in Noida might not even have known the full form of SCO. Now, the organization is asserting that multilateralism is breathing fresh air.
China is hosting the SCO Summit at Tianjin to further send out a loud message to the western powers. The city in North China bore bruises of colonial powers from Europe wrestling for control. Tianjin now symbolises China’s transformation, from a colony of European powers to a geopolitics magnet.
Tianjin SCO Summit 2025: Space, Heritage, and Power Politics
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About The Author
Tianjin is more of optics and symbolism than substance. What is the concrete takeaway? The joint statements would not deter Trump from his overbearing and narrow minded trade and economic policies. But symbols are essential in the realpolitik.