Fact Check: Viral Claim that Xi Jinping Refused Handshake with PM Modi at SCO Summit Is False
China is hosting world leaders as they arrive for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The
Claim :
Viral video shows Chinese President Xi Jinping not shaking hands with Indian PM during SCO summitFact :
The claim is False. The viral video is an old and incomplete one
China is hosting world leaders as they arrive for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The two-day gathering has brought together leaders from more than 20 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, along with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or dialogue partners. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several other world leaders, is in northern China's Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit from August 31 to September 1. PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi emphasised that New Delhi is committed to taking its relations with China forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and sensitivity. He also noted that there is peace and stability on the borders.
Meanwhile, a video showing Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going viral on social media with the claim that Xi Jinping is not showing interest in shaking hands with Indian PM Modi and is insulting him. The caption shared with the video is: “जिनपिंग भाव नहीं दे रहा है बस फॉर्मेलिटी निभा रहा हैं.! और साहब से कंट्रोल नहीं हो रहा हैं,, शर्म भी नहीं आता 20 जवानों के शहादत को भूलकर दांत निपोर रहे हैं..!” When translated, it claims: “Xi Jinping is not showing any emotion, just fulfilling the formality. And he is not able to control himself. He doesn’t even feel shame, forgetting the martyrdom of 20 soldiers, he is still smiling.”
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact check:
The claim is False. The video is an old and incomplete video. When we searched for videos recently published in relation to the SCO Summit, we found these clips shared by news media outlets showing Chinese President welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shaking his hand with respect.
When we performed a reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video, we found that the video is an old one and incomplete. We found a video published by ANI News on October 23, 2019 with the title “'Historic handshake': PM Modi holds meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at BRICS Summit.” In this video, both leaders can be seen shaking hands after stepping onto the dais. Xi Jinping did not avoid the handshake.
Another video shared by NDTV also shows the longer version of the viral video, where both the leaders can be seen shaking hands in front of the media.
Therefore, the claim that Xi Jinping refused to shake hands with Indian PM Narendra Modi at the SCO summit is false. The viral video is from an earlier BRICS summit. It is incomplete, as the full video clearly shows both leaders going forward and shaking hands with each other.
