Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek
Leaders shook hands and posed for a group photograph at the annual gathering.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Watch: PM Modi shares warm handshakes with Xi, Putin at SCO Summit
Photograph: Times of India (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The 26th SCO Leadership Summit took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 1 September 2026.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were seen shaking hands and exchanging brief words.
- The leaders participated in a group photograph and a roundtable discussion at the Yrys Ordo Congress Hall.
- The summit included 10 member states, 15 partner countries, and 2 observer countries.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 10 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
55/100
Craft
55/100
Hype
25/100
10 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Leadership Summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 1 September 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were observed sharing handshakes and brief exchanges. This interaction occurred as the leaders gathered for an official group photograph at the Yrys Ordo Congress Hall, a customary part of the annual summit. A roundtable discussion involving SCO member states also took place at the same venue.
Disagreement on interaction details
While most reports agree that Prime Minister Modi, President Xi, and President Putin interacted, the specifics vary. The Times of India stated Modi was seen sharing "warm handshakes and a brief exchange" with Xi and Putin as leaders assembled for the photograph. Hindustan Times reported Modi was "briefly seen exchanging words with Chinese President Xi Jinping" and "briefly exchanging words with Xi and Putin as the leaders posed for the family photograph." The Munsif Daily digest stated the two leaders "shook hands as both proceeded towards the event venue" after posing for a group photograph. Latestly's digest noted a "handshake and a brief conversation" between Modi and Xi Jinping. Deccan Chronicle's digest mentioned Modi was seen "briefly having an exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin" as leaders got together for the family photograph. Orissa Post's digest reported Modi and Xi Jinping "shook hands and interacted while walking together" and later had a conversation after the group photograph. Aninews.in's digest stated Modi "joined the family photo of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit". Social News XYZ's digest reported Modi "posed for a group photograph with other leaders".
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports mention the details of Prime Minister Modi's separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin or Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which were reported by Hindustan Times. The right-rated reports also do not mention India's focus at the summit on the fight against terrorism, regional connectivity, and energy security, as stated in an unrated digest from Aaj Tak.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 1 Sept 2026, 08:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Hindustan Times, the sole centre-rated report, led with the headline "Rare sighting at SCO Summit: PM Modi, Xi, Putin, Sharif captured in one frame." The report highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were captured in the same frame. It noted Modi was "briefly seen exchanging words with Chinese President Xi Jinping" and also with Putin as the leaders posed for the photograph. The report also detailed Modi's separate meetings with Putin, where he called for an end to the war in Ukraine, and with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on the interactions between Prime Minister Modi, President Xi, and President Putin. The Times of India's headline stated "PM Modi shares warm handshakes with Xi, Putin at SCO Summit." This report detailed Modi sharing "warm handshakes and a brief exchange" with Xi and Putin as they gathered for the group photograph. Latestly's digest also highlighted a "handshake and a brief conversation" between Modi and Xi Jinping, calling it a "rare window of personal diplomacy between India and China." Deccan Chronicle's digest noted Modi, Xi, and Putin shared a "brief exchange." Aninews.in's digest mentioned Modi joining the "family photo of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit." The reports collectively noted the presence of 10 member states, 15 partner countries, and two observer countries at the summit.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 83% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 10. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek biased?
- Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek is one event reported by 10 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Modi, Xi, Putin meet at SCO Summit in Bishkek?
- 10 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- When and where was the 26th SCO Summit held?
- The 26th SCO Leadership Summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 1 September 2026. The event brought together leaders from the organisation's member states, partner countries, and observer countries.
- Who were the key leaders seen interacting at the summit?
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were seen shaking hands and exchanging brief words. They also posed for a group photograph together.
- What other activities took place at the summit?
- Besides the group photograph, the summit included a roundtable discussion involving SCO member states. The gathering focused on strengthening dialogue and cooperation on regional and global issues.
Read it at the source
10 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
5- PM Modi, Chinese President Xi, Russian President Putin Share Handshake as World Leaders Gather for SCO Summit (opens Latestly in a new tab)
- PM Modi shares warm handshakes with Xi, Putin at SCO Summit (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Modi, Xi Jinping and Putin Share Brief Exchange at SCO Summit (opens Deccan Chronicle in a new tab)
Deccan Chronicle — is Deccan Chronicle biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Important Meeting of SCO Summit Today, PM Modi Shook Hands with Xi Jinping (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- 26th SCO Summit begins in Bishkek as Heads of state gather, round-table discussion underway (opens aninews.in in a new tab)
aninews.in — is aninews.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
4- PM Modi, Chinese Prez Xi Jinping shake hands, interact at SCO Summit in Bishkek (opens The Munsif Daily in a new tab)
The Munsif Daily — is The Munsif Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- PM Modi Interacts With Xi Jinping At SCO Summit In Bishkek, Video Emerges (opens Zoom News in a new tab)
- PM Modi, Xi Jinping shake hands, walk side by side at SCO Summit in Bishkek - OrissaPOST (opens Orissa POST in a new tab)
Orissa POST — is Orissa POST biased? Our profile of this outlet
- PM Modi poses for group photograph with SCO leaders at 26th Summit in Bishkek (opens Social News XYZ in a new tab)
Social News XYZ — is Social News XYZ biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
