In China, Putin hails India as 'economic giant'; says multipolar world has no hegemon

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference, at the end of his visit to China for the Tianjin SCO Summit and the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP)

Calling India an “economic giant,” Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday stressed that a truly multipolar system means no single country can dominate others and that all participants enjoy “equal rights.”

Speaking to reporters after wrapping up his trip to Beijing for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin underlined that even forums with powerful members like India and China are not about seeking control. “The multipolar world has no hegemon, everyone has equal rights. Despite having economic giants like India and China as members, groupings like BRICS do not talk about the idea of domination of politics or global security,” he said.

Putin described his “formal and informal” meetings with China’s leadership as productive. “While leading EU (European Union) economies fall into recession, global ones are moving ahead, especially in the Asia-Pacific,” he observed. “Formal and informal talks with leaders in China have been useful and had positive outcomes.”

His comments carry weight at a time when Washington and New Delhi are locked in a bitter tariff dispute. The United States has imposed a 50 percent duty on Indian exports, calling it “punishment” for India’s continuing imports of Russian crude.

Putin’s words also contrast with US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about India. Trump has repeatedly disparaged the Indian economy as “dead” and recently claimed that during the now-stalled trade negotiations New Delhi “offered” to cut tariffs on US goods to “nothing,” arguing that the US does “very little business” with India and is New Delhi’s “biggest” client.

In reality, India’s economy expanded by 7.8 percent in the April–June quarter of the current financial year, outpacing expectations and remaining the fastest-growing major economy. China’s GDP during the same period rose by 5.2 percent.

The Reserve Bank of India has projected real GDP growth of 6.5 percent for 2025–26, with 6.5 percent in the first quarter, 6.7 percent in the second, 6.6 percent in the third and 6.3 percent in the fourth. Economists caution that the new US tariffs could darken the outlook for sectors such as textiles, but for now the figures show India still leading global growth.