Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with Chinese President Xi Jinping shortly after the group photo at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. The brief interaction between the two leaders came as global leaders gathered for the summit’s group photograph.
A video of the interaction has now surfaced. The footage shows the leaders standing together for the group photo, after which PM Modi can be seen interacting with President Xi Jinping as they walk out.
Another video shows the two leaders shaking hands.
Along with PM Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon were also present at the summit.
For Beijing, the SCO is increasingly becoming part of a broader diplomatic framework aimed at promoting a world that is less reliant on Western-led institutions.
PM Modi and President Xi last meeting
PM Modi and President Xi Jinping last met in Tianjin in 2025, in what marked an important attempt to stabilise ties after years of strained relations. Against this backdrop, the body language between the Prime Minister and the Chinese President in Bishkek assumes particular significance.
India to host BRICS summit
Notably, India is set to host the BRICS summit from September 11, bringing PM Modi, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin together again in New Delhi.
Earlier on Monday, PM Modi and Putin travelled together in the same car to the opening ceremony of the VI World Nomad Games at Bishkek Arena, following their bilateral meeting.
