Bhim Bhurtel
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin last week has generated significant attention in international politics, academia and the media.
The photos and videos of Modi shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated Western news cycles, quickly becoming the defining image of the event.
Some commentators rushed to conclude that a new “axis of upheaval” was born. Many described the scene as heralding a new chapter in the global balance of power, a sign that India was moving closer to China and Russia in defiance of the West.
Others suggested it reflected the mounting pressure from Donald Trump, whose tariff battles and geopolitical bullying have left New Delhi searching for room for a strategic reset.
Such commentary, however, was dramatic but superficial. Modi’s participation was not a historic pivot. It was a tactical adjustment, a temporary performance dictated by immediate political needs at home and calculated hedging abroad, rather than a structural reorientation of India’s foreign policy.
The composition of Modi’s delegation offered the first clue to the strategic thinking behind the Tianjin visit. The absence of Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister and its principal diplomatic strategist since 2015, was a significant detail.
Jaishankar, first as foreign secretary and later as minister, has been the central architect of India’s international engagements under Modi. His absence indicated that the visit was narrow in scope, focused on security management and tactical balancing rather than grand strategy.
This detail undermines the breathless claims that Modi was charting a bold new path. India continues to consider its relationship with Washington invaluable. Despite frustrations, that partnership remains the cornerstone of New Delhi’s international strategy.
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