In a stunning turn of geopolitical events, the US administration’s aggressive tariff policies appear to have forged an unthinkable alliance. The leaders of Russia, China, and India—Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Narendra Modi—showcased a remarkable degree of camaraderie at the SCO summit, a development one US commentator called a “sign of a new world order.”
This powerful display of unity has not gone unnoticed. Analyst Van Jones warned that this is a “historically big deal,” suggesting that America is witnessing the formation of a rival power bloc in real-time. The image of the three leaders together, he argued, should be a source of deep concern for the United States, as it signals a coordinated challenge to its global influence.
The meeting in China was more than symbolic. It was a direct and pointed response to Washington’s economic pressure. By standing together, Modi, Xi, and Putin sent a clear message: the world’s major powers will not bow to American demands and are prepared to build an alternative economic and political framework.
Jones described the US as being caught on the “bad side of the triangle,” a stark contrast to its advantageous position during the Cold War. “It’s everybody against us,” he lamented, adding that this new multipolar reality is “not good for America.” The country, he suggests, is being strategically isolated by the very policies intended to display its strength.