PM Modi and President Putin shared a ride in Putin’s Aurus car after the SCO Summit in China, while Beijing honoured PM Modi with Xi Jinping’s favourite Hongqi L5. The gestures signal warming ties and shifting global alignments amid tensions with the US.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together on Monday in the Russian leader’s Aurus limousine in Tianjin, China, following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Putin had brought his own presidential vehicle from Moscow the high-end, retro-styled Aurus Senat, manufactured by Russia’s Aurus Motors. The image of both leaders riding together in the same car is not just optics, it’s diplomacy on wheels. In international relations, shared travel by heads of state is rare, signaling a high level of trust, warmth, and strategic alignment.
What it means in diplomatic terms
The shared ride is being seen as a visible sign of tightening India-Russia ties at this time. The timing is especially notable given India’s growing tensions with the United States, which recently announced 50% tariffs on Indian exports, half of which are believed to be linked to India’s ongoing oil trade with Russia.
Riding together after a key summit underscores a sense of solidarity, and perhaps mutual defiance, in the face of Western pressure. It also puts a spotlight on the strategic balancing act that India continues to perform in an increasingly polarized global landscape.
China rolls out the Red Flag for PM Modi
Equally notable was the vehicle China chose for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Hongqi L5, a luxury Limousine historically reserved for the Chinse president and a handful of foreign dignataries. Hongqi translates to Red Flag, and the car has long been a symbol of Chinese national pride.
By offering this elite vehicle to PM Modi for his first trip to China in over seven years, Beijing sent a strong symbolic signal of respect and a desire to reset ties. The Hongqi has previously been used to host only a handful of world leaders, including Richard Nixon and Francois Hollande. PM Modi joining this small circle is significant.
‘Dragon and Elephant’ to be friends?
PM Modi’s ride in the Hongqi came after a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping, during which Xi remarked that it was time for the “Dragon and Elephant to come together.” The meeting marked an ease in relations strained since the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. In the hours before the SCO Summit, both nations agreed to:
- Resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
- Restart direct flights between India and China
- Welcome further troop disengagement along the disputed border
The PM Modi-Putin camaraderie and China’s high-level courtesies come against the backdrop of rising tension between India and US. The US tariffs, announced by President Donald Trump, have caused visible strain in the India-US economic corridor. China, for its part, has openly supported India’s stance, calling out the US for acting like a “bully.” With Russia already a strategic partner and China signaling warmth, India seems to be quietly reinforcing a regional realignment.
The vehicles that spoke volumes
Putin’s Aurus Senat
- Russian-made presidential limousine
- Armoured and retro-styled, a symbol of Russian prestige
- Brought specially to China and granted a Chinese diplomatic number plate
PM Modi’s Hongqi L5
- China’s most exclusive luxury car, traditionally used by top CPC leaders
- Offered to PM Modi as a mark of esteem and restored ties
- Built by state-owned FAW, with V12 engine and hand-crafted interiors
When world leaders ride together, literally, the message is unmistakable.
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