Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China reflected not only India’s active engagement with the bloc but also a striking display of personal diplomacy and camaraderie with key global leaders. His mode of transport during the summit became a symbolic highlight of the visit.

On arrival and throughout his two-day stay in China for the summit, PM Modi travelled in a Hongqi L5 limousine, the flagship state vehicle of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Hongqi, a highly prestigious marque in China, is reserved exclusively for senior leaders and select dignitaries. This choice of transport highlighted the Chinese leadership’s gesture of respect and warmth toward India’s prime minister.

Interestingly, Xi Jinping himself used the same car model during his visit to India in 2019, underlining a sense of continuity in protocol and symbolism in their bilateral relations.

What underscored PM Modi’s diplomatic dexterity further was his departure from the SCO proceedings in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the summit concluded, Mr Putin invited PM Modi to join him in his Aurus Senat, Russia’s luxury armored state limousine, which the Russian leader frequently uses during official trips abroad.

Reports suggest that Putin waited nearly ten minutes for Modi so that the two leaders could travel together from the summit venue to the hotel where their bilateral meeting was scheduled. This act was seen as a mark of personal regard and close rapport between the two leaders.

Remarkably, Modi and Putin utilised the drive itself for an extended discussion, conversing for nearly an hour inside the car even after reaching the destination.

Modi later shared his impressions on social media platform X, describing his conversations with Putin as consistently “insightful,” accompanied by a picture of them together inside the vehicle.

Their official bilateral interaction subsequently continued for about 45 minutes, signalling the strong emphasis both leaders placed on their dialogue at a critical juncture in global affairs.

The timing of this meeting was particularly significant against the backdrop of mounting criticism from the United States over India’s continued import of oil from Russia amid the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Washington, under President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January with a strong emphasis on ending the war, has turned increasingly aggressive in its trade stance toward India. Trump publicly accused New Delhi of indirectly financing Moscow’s military operations by purchasing Russian hydrocarbons and retaliated by imposing steep tariffs.

These included a 50 percent general tariff on Indian goods as well as a specific 25 percent levy linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. This move has been characterised by New Delhi as both “unfair” and “unreasonable.” The Ministry of External Affairs, in an earlier statement, reiterated that India’s energy imports are determined by market realities and are geared toward safeguarding the energy security needs of its 1.4 billion citizens.

It further described the U.S. action as “extremely unfortunate,” pointing out that several other countries also continue their transactions with Russia in their own national interest without facing similar punitive consequences. India has stressed that it will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests from external pressures.

In this context, Modi’s dual engagement with the leaders of Russia and China—two powers that are central players both in the SCO and in the evolving global order—carries layered diplomatic implications. The optics of Modi arriving in Xi’s car and leaving in Putin’s not only convey India’s balanced approach within Eurasian geopolitics but also subtly reaffirm its strategic autonomy amid rising Western pressure.

At a time when Washington is tightening its economic measures against New Delhi, Modi’s warm outreach with Beijing and Moscow positions India as an independent actor navigating through competing global power centres.

The meetings also reinforce India’s refusal to be boxed into binaries, demonstrating its resolve to advance national interests, pursue energy security, and maintain robust partnerships within multilateral frameworks, even in the face of external criticism.

The summit and these high-profile interactions showcased Modi’s ability to combine protocol symbolism with substantive diplomacy, underlining India’s emergence as a confident global player willing to chart its own unique course in a polarised international environment.

Based On NDTV Report