At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s friendly exchanges with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping grabbed the spotlight.
Amid hugs, huddles, and laughter at the summit held in the northern Chinese town of Tianjin, the internet reacted with trademark humour to the striking display of warmth between the three leaders.
‘Where’s Kim Jong Un?’ one user asked, seeking to know the supreme leader of North Korea’s whereabouts. To this post, another reader responded, ‘ In the train.’
The camaraderie between the three leaders stood out against the backdrop of global tensions amid US tariffs. PM Narendra Modi’s bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, come days after US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products for New Delhi.
‘100 per cent tariff lagade who, is se zyada kya karega who,” a fake audio superimposed in the video of the meeting suggested Modi telling leaders, including Xi and Putin, at the SCO summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his first trip to China in seven years. Meetings with Xi and Putin are seen as Modi’s bid to reset relations with China and deepen ties with Russia amid strained US relations.
Trump is toast. (Literally)
“Trump is toast. (Literally),” another user said, reacting to the now-viral picture of Modi speaking with Putin and Xi
US tariffs on India
The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, the highest in Asia, to penalise it for Russian oil purchases.
The US is India’s biggest export market, and economists like Citigroup Inc. estimate the tariffs will cut the annual growth rate by as much as 0.8 percentage points.
Peter Navarro, senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing at the White House and Donald Trump’s close aide, escalated his tirade against India’s Russian oil purchases, saying India’s elite class—the Brahmins—were profiteering from the Russian oil deal.
