Tianjin summit: Is a Chinese-Russian-Indian axis forming to reshape the global order?

In the summer of 2025, the leaders of China, Russia, and India gathered in the Chinese city of Tianjin for a summit billed as a watershed moment that would reshape the global order. The sight of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi shaking hands on the red carpet seemed to announce the birth of a new axis that would challenge the West and change the rules of the international game.

The summit was not just a political protocol, but a strategic event that came days after US President Donald Trump imposed unprecedented tariffs on India. These pressures pushed New Delhi into the arms of Beijing and Moscow, showing for the first time the emergence of a Eurasian bloc that carries the features of an alternative project to Western hegemony.

Economically, India made a bold decision to continue importing Russian oil despite the sanctions, increasing its imports to 1.5 million barrels per day, about 40 percent of its needs. At the same time, the three countries agreed to boost trade in local currencies, a move described as the beginning of the "de-dollarization" of global transactions.

Militarily, Moscow and Beijing strengthened their cooperation through unprecedented naval and air maneuvers, while India remained cautious, leveraging its defense partnership with Russia without abandoning its ties to the West. This balanced stance made it a pivotal player that is difficult to fully polarize to any axis.

Trump wrote on his platform that "Washington has lost India and Russia to China". The irony is that it was his confrontational policies that opened the door to this trilateral rapprochement.

The impact of the summit was not limited to Asia, but extended to the Middle East, where Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are looking for a new position within the global scene by opening up to BRICS and strengthening their partnerships with Beijing, New Delhi, and Moscow.

In the end, the Tianjin summit was not just a passing meeting, but an announcement of the beginning of a new "Great Game" where the United States is no longer the only player, and the world is being shaped by new alliances led by China, Russia, and India.