Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in China from August 31 to September 1, 2025 in order to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

The SCO was founded as a regional security bloc to combat threats emanating from “radical Islam and drug trafficking from Afghanistan.”

Its official languages are Chinese and Russian.

Headquartered in Beijing, the SCO currently includes 10 member states: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, which became its latest full member in July 2024, a year after Iran joined.

The SCO also has two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 dialog partners. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also at the summit, which is attended by more than 20 world leaders and was overshadowed this year by trade wars with the United States. Russia’s participation in this SCO was crucial for the global community, as Russia currently has many open fronts, from the dispute with the US over ending the war in Ukraine to its controversial stance toward Israel.

Russia’s participation in the SCO was a message challenging Western political hegemony.

In recent years, the bloc’s mission has expanded to include economic and military cooperation as a counterweight to the West, and particularly America.

The goal is to strengthen trade cooperation and cross-border infrastructure, such as the INSTC and Chabahar Port, for alternative trade routes. Combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism (the “three scourges”) remains a priority through the RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure).

China and India played a key role in this SCO with the different agendas each country serves. This is Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. Indian Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need for a unified response and no double standards on terrorism issues.

The adoption of the SCO as a platform for security, connectivity, and opportunity was proposed. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the intention to establish a development bank to strengthen the SCO’s economic influence, along with loans of approximately 4 billions to member states.

During the meeting, Modi, while emphasizing the commitment to rapprochement and better cooperation with Xi, both stated that there is now a deepening of trust between them after years of tension, including a long-standing border dispute.

Xi told Modi that China and India should be partners, not rivals, while Modi underlined that there is now an “atmosphere of peace and stability” between them. India has a long-standing trade deficit with China, which reached a record high of $99.2 billion this year.

Relations between the world’s two most populous countries were strained by a clash in 2020 along their poorly defined border. During the clash, 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives in hand-to-hand combat.

The connection of these states within the framework of the SCO was highly productive. In addition the idea of economic deepening between the members strengthened without anyone being dependent on western influence, and new centers of cooperation emerged, such as for information security, cross-border crime, and drugs.

The energy and environmental aspect was also significant, with a focus on regional cooperation for sustainable solutions. Further collaborations were proposed in energy, technology, and artificial intelligence. Modi proposed the establishment of a civilizational dialogue forum to strengthen cultural exchanges among member states.

The triangle of countries that bears the greatest geopolitical weight is the triangle of China, Russia, and India, and how they interact with each other, as well as with the United States and the European Union.

On the one hand, India seems to be taking the ideal stance toward the power that the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes had proposed, neither too close to get burned nor too far away to freeze. On the other hand, China and Russia are playing offensively against the US, and their stance is also creating a negative atmosphere within the European Union.

Xi and Putin emphasized the need for multipolarity, fair global governance, and a reduction in the Western monopoly. The communist background of the two countries serves as a basis for mutual understanding between them. These are two countries that on the one hand claim to be fighting terrorism, while on the other hand their actions, secretly or openly, strengthen it.

Regarding Russia, it is losing its prestige due to its practices both within the SCO and globally. On September 1, 2025, the Commission confirmed that GPS signal interference occurred on the aircraft carrying President Ursula von der Leyen as it approached Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria.

Regarding China’s malicious practices, in August 2025, GCHQ (the UK’s National Cyber Security Center) confirmed that the hacking group Salt Typhoon had infiltrated critical UK national infrastructure for the first time, as part of a global campaign that began in 2021 targeting governments, telecommunications, and transportation.

In a joint advisory with other agencies (such as the NSA, CISA, and NCSC), it was stated that certain Chinese technology companies — including Sichuan Juxinhe, Huanyu Tianqiong, and Sichuan Zhixin Ruijie have supported the Salt Typhoon operations by providing tools and infrastructure.

UK Cyber Security Intelligence has warned that the Volt Typhoon operation, likely originating from China, has already gained long-term access to key cyber systems and is “likely” to have targeted British infrastructure, including companies with a US presence.

Later, the head of the NCSC, Richard Horne, described China as the UK’s most significant digital threat. Despite the government’s efforts for economic cooperation, the risk is considered serious and persistent.

The United Kingdom has accused China of being behind attacks on the Electoral Commission between 2021–2022, resulting in the personal data of approximately 40 million voters being exposed and in response, sanctions were imposed on APT31 (Advanced Persistent Threat group 31) and the company Wuhan Xiaoruizhi.

Additionally, a group of hackers of Chinese origin targeted the personal accounts of MPs who have taken a hard stance against China. The SCO is becoming increasingly active as a counterweight to the West, with China and Russia taking the lead. India, although a member, often distances itself from the full Sino-Russian agenda.

For the EU, strengthening ties with India offers a strategic “bridge” to this bloc, preventing New Delhi from leaning too heavilyThroughs the East. SCO countries have significant natural resources (oil, natural gas, rare earths).

Through the SCO, India gains better access to these resources, which makes it an attractive trading partner for the EU. India’s participation in the SCO strengthens its geostrategic role, so a timely FTA will allow the EU to secure a position in this new multipolar system.

An FTA will allow Europe to diversify its supplies and supply chains, reducing its dependence on China and Russia. The US and other Asian powers (Japan, Australia) have already developed commercial and qàtechnological frameworks with India.

If the EU delays, there is a risk of losing access to a huge and rapidly growing market. India, as the world’s fifth-largest economy and the fastest-growing major market, offers a strategic alternative to China for manufacturing, technology, and critical raw materials.

In conclusion, a possible FTA between India and EU is not just as an economic deal, but part of a strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific, which makes it easier to overcome sectoral disputes.

The EU can secure an FTA with India soon by prioritizing strategic sectors, using phased negotiations, and framing the deal as part of a wider geopolitical partnership.

The reason is clear: economic diversification, green & digital cooperation, and the need to strengthen ties with a rising India in a multipolar world.