Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a cordial exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.
The encounter, which has been photographed and videotaped, had the world watching for its geopolitical significance, especially since U.S. President Donald Trump ratchets up trade tensions with India.
Pictures from Tianjin exhibited a clear sense of friendship between the three leaders, with some other heads of state in attendance. A very popular video posted on social media had Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looking on grimly as PM Modi engaged in an animated, casual conversation just minutes prior to the start of the plenary session.
During the traditional group photo session in the morning, Modi was placed several seats away from Sharif, highlighting the diplomatic distance between the two neighbours.
Subsequently, PM Modi also tweeted about the interactions with the Chinese and Russian leaders. Sharing photographs of his interactions with President Xi and President Putin, he wrote, "Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit."
The context of these friendly exchanges is the tense India-Pakistan relationship after a fatal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, early this year. The April attack, which was executed by The Resistance Front, a splinter group of Lashkar-e-Taiba, killed 26 and pushed the two nuclear nations perilously close to war. India has squarely held Pakistan responsible for masterminding the attack.
Following that provocation, Islamabad wanted to be closer to Washington and gave thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump for brokering the ceasefire with India. New Delhi, nevertheless, has categorically insisted that the ceasefire resulted after Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations personally spoke to his Indian counterpart to personally ask for it.
Read also| ‘Never Felt Better In My Life’: US President Responds to Viral ‘Trump is Dead’ Rumors
Read also| PM Modi’s Gesture Triggers Surge in Japanese Investment in India
