🤝 Modi, Putin, Xi — and Us:
🤝 Modi, Putin, Xi — and Us: Time to Rethink the Mateship Pact?
While most Australians were busy dodging magpies or debating the merits of almond milk, something quietly seismic unfolded in Tianjin, China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India arrived hand-in-hand with Vladimir Putin for a summit hosted by Xi Jinping — a diplomatic ménage à trois that’s less about tea ceremonies and more about tectonic shifts in global power.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, once a sleepy regional forum, now resembles a geopolitical block party for nations keen to sidestep Western influence. Modi’s presence alongside Putin — amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and China’s assertive posture in the Indo-Pacific — sends a message that’s hard to ignore: India is hedging its bets.
🧭 Strategic Autonomy or Strategic Ambiguity?
India’s foreign policy has long been described as “strategically autonomous.” Translation: it wants to be friends with everyone, but not too close with anyone. Yet Modi’s warm words for Putin (“special and privileged partnership”) and Xi (“partners rather than rivals”) suggest a tilt that’s more than just diplomatic small talk.
This comes as India faces punitive tariffs from the US and deepening trade friction with the West. So, is this a pivot to a new Eurasian axis — one that sees Western alliances as optional, outdated, or even obstructive?
🇦🇺 Australia’s Blind Spot
Here in Australia, we’ve treated India as a rising democratic partner — a Quad ally, a counterweight to China, and a key player in our Indo-Pacific strategy. But if India is now cozying up to the very powers we’re trying to contain, it’s time to ask: are we still on the same page?
Our defence and trade ties with India are growing, but so is the complexity. If Modi is laughing with Putin and Xi while we’re still drafting joint statements about “shared values,” we may be playing cricket while the rest of the world’s moved on to chess.
🧨 Parade Diplomacy: When Red Flags Aren’t Just Symbolic
Just as Modi, Putin, and Xi were shaking hands in Tianjin, news broke that former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and ex-Foreign Minister Bob Carr had been invited to attend a Chinese military parade in Tiananmen Square — alongside Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Iran’s President.
Yes, you read that right. Two former Australian leaders rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s most authoritarian figures at a celebration of military might. The optics? Less “global harmony,” more “awkward family reunion at the wrong barbecue.”
Carr defended his attendance as a gesture of goodwill, citing China’s WWII sacrifices and the importance of maintaining dialogue. Fair enough — history matters. But when Western figures show up at parades featuring ballistic missiles and autocrats, it’s not just the fireworks that raise eyebrows.
Andrews, who previously signed Victoria onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative, hasn’t confirmed his attendance. But the invitation alone signals something deeper: China’s strategy of courting Western legitimacy while consolidating authoritarian alliances.
🚨 Cold War Rhetoric, Hot War Drills
China has repeatedly called for an end to “Cold War mentality” from the West. Yet in February 2025, the People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted an unannounced live-fire drill in the Tasman Sea — halfway between Australia and New Zealand — without notifying our Defence Force in advance.
The exercise disrupted commercial flights and triggered a scramble for information. A Virgin Australia pilot was the first to alert authorities, not a diplomatic channel. The drill was part of China’s “Zhanlan” far seas training series, which analysts say is designed to prepare for high-end naval warfare.
So while Beijing lectures the West on restraint, it’s launching missiles off our coast with all the subtlety of a pub brawl in a library.
🧱 Time to Rebuild the Firewall
This isn’t about demonising China or abandoning India. It’s about recognising the symbolic weight of these gestures. If Australia wants to maintain credibility in its Indo-Pacific strategy, it must be clear-eyed about who it stands with — and who it’s seen standing next to.
In a world of shifting alliances, soft power matters. And sometimes, the most powerful statement is knowing when not to RSVP.
