{
  "id": 4808604,
  "title": "‘Aloof’ but engaged: what India’s SCO comeback reveals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/aloof-but-engaged-what-indias-sco-comeback-reveals",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T07:19:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3365955/aloof-engaged-what-indias-sco-comeback-reveals"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, sending only his foreign minister in his place. However, this year, Modi has returned to the SCO's fold, attending the 26th summit in Kyrgyzstan alongside China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts believe that India's increased engagement with the SCO is a response to its desire to counterbalance China's influence and to hedge against the unpredictable United States. While China remains the dominant force within the bloc, India's presence provides a counterbalance to its influence and helps prevent the SCO from becoming an anti-Western bloc.",
  "summary": "Two years ago, Narendra Modi skipped the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) summit in Astana entirely, sending his foreign minister instead. That absence was redressed first at last year’s summit in Tianjin and again this week in Kyrgyzstan, where India’s prime minister stood shoulder to shoulder with China’s Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of other SCO member…",
  "key_points": [
    "India's Prime Minister Modi attended the 26th SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan.",
    "Modi's return signals India's desire to counterbalance China's influence.",
    "India's presence in SCO prevents the bloc from becoming anti-Western."
  ],
  "editors_take": "India's renewed engagement with the SCO signals its intent to counterbalance China's influence within the bloc and hedge against US unpredictability, while also preventing the SCO from becoming overly anti-Western.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}