'Sent Chill Down The Spine Of Every American': US Journalist On Xi's Photo With Modi, Putin

Last Updated:September 03, 2025, 21:31 IST

The host warned that the gathering represents a "new world order", one in which the West finds itself boxed in a multi‑polar global landscape

From left to right: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (AP photo)

CNN host and political commentator Van Jones has warned that the recent image of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders of Iran and North Korea should “send a chill down the spine of every American."

The host warned that the gathering represents a “new world order", one in which the West finds itself boxed in by an increasingly multi‑polar global landscape.

“I’m happy to dunk on Trump for falling on his face, if that’s kind of what we want to do. But I think we’re going to look back on today, historically, as a very big deal. Because that image of Xi Jinping with Putin, with Modi from India, with the leader of Iran, with the leader of North Korea, that should send a chill down the spine of every American," Jones said.

“That is a new world order. Multi-polar world. They call it multi-polar, I call it the West is now in a box," he added.

By invoking Henry Kissinger’s Cold War strategy of balancing powers, he emphasised how Western dominance once relied on aligning with China against Russia.

“Don’t forget, everybody doesn’t like Henry Kissinger, but he did figure out a way to get us on the right side of the triangle, so that it was United States and China together, and Russia by itself. Now we’re on the bad end of the triangle. It’s everybody against us," the commentator said.

PM Modi’s photo with Xi and Putin first made headlines at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where the three leaders shared a rare public display of camaraderie. They were seen deep in conversation, with translators nearby, and Modi and Putin were even photographed holding hands.

During the summit, both Xi and Putin took veiled shots at Western powers, with Xi in particular condemning “bullying behaviour" — widely read as a reference to the United States.

Within days, Xi appeared alongside Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a grand military parade in Beijing, marking 80 years since World War II’s end. In an unusual display, Xi walked down Tiananmen Square’s red carpet shaking hands with both attendees, signalling strong unity among nations often sidelined in Western narratives.

Meanwhile, India’s diplomatic posture is shifting as well. PM Modi’s attendance at the SCO follows fresh hurdles with the US, including a 50% tariff imposition and strained lines of communication with President Donald Trump.

News Desk

The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d...Read More

The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d...

Read More

Location :

United States of America (USA)

First Published:

September 03, 2025, 21:27 IST

News world 'Sent Chill Down The Spine Of Every American': US Journalist On Xi's Photo With Modi, Putin

Read More