Modi’s SCO comments expose India’s double game between US and China
Islamabad: At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on 31 Aug, Indian Prime Minister Modi declared India-China partnership, highlighting “strategic autonomy,” signaling a shift from its previous US-aligned stance.
According to Kashmir Media Service, after US tariffs strained ties, India appears to opportunistically recalibrate its diplomacy. Critics argue this exposes duplicity, contrasting with Pakistan’s consistent, trustworthy relations with China amid Delhi’s shifting allegiances.
Punch Lines
On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping that “India and China are partners, not rivals ,” while emphasizing India’s so-called “strategic autonomy.”
Modi’s remarks signal a warning of New Delhi’s strategic closeness with Washington, particularly after the Trump administration imposed punishing 50% tariffs on Indian goods.
Without mentioning the US directly, Modi said India and China pursued strategic autonomy and their ties should not be seen through the lens of a third country .
For a long time, India firmly aligned with the United States to counterbalance China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. The momentary alignment with China exposes India’s duplicitous diplomatic choices preaching consistency while practicing opportunism.
For the US, the message is stark: Washington may have backed the wrong horse. India plays both sides, while US taxpayers continue to fund Delhi’s military build-up.
Yun Sun , director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, Washington says “India is no longer able to pretend that it still has strong support from (Washington),”
India cannot simultaneously pose as China’s “partner” and America’s “counterweight.” The SCO summit merely spotlighted Modi’s doublespeak.
From Washington to Moscow, and now Beijing, Modi’s India reinvents its narrative to suit the moment . The critical question is whether a state that sells different versions of itself can ever be trusted.
CNN analyst Rhea Mogul notes that the SCO summit is unlikely to trigger a fundamental realignment between India and China, China is clearly aware of Modi’s opportunistic stance.
Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow in the Centre for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution, notes, it’s “not clear that either side will really trust each other”.
Unlike India’s opportunistic diplomacy, Pakistan has maintained consistent, credible and trustworthy relations with China, a partnership grounded in mutual confidence rather than expediency.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his address at Tianjin University said Pakistan and China are connected historically and culturally with deep trust. Their friendship is based on mutual trust, respect, sincerity, and love .
This friendship has withstood every test. Both countries have stood by each other in every difficult time.
