Transcription
Would you like to say a few words to Chinese people?
>> Interesting times, uh, uh, to be Chinese. Uh, there's a lot going for you and your country, and uh, let's hope that we can make the, the most of these opportunities. Uh, for the, for the regular people, I mean, u, it's, it's, I mean, we, I found people who've been very welcoming, very supportive, and very nice and kind. So, yeah, I think that uh, that these issues need to be resolved at the top level and, and uh, the politics need to take a backseat. And whenever you uh, put a focus on people-to-people relationships, I think countries work better. So, uh, the people are great.
Of course, when Paky Sharma traveled to China this time to cover the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, it caught many people completely off guard. Here's a seasoned Indian news anchor who's built her reputation on anti-China rhetoric, constantly viewing China through a hostile lens in her reporting. So, what made her do such a dramatic turnaround after actually setting foot in China?
As more footage emerged from her trip, viewers were shocked to see a completely different side of Pocky. Gone was her usual aggressive stance toward China. Instead, she appeared remarkably calm and rational.
>> My first question, is it your first time here in China? And how's your impression so far?
>> Actually, it's my second time. I came uh in 2018 when Prime Minister Modi uh came to China to Wuhan of all places for the Wuhan informal summit with President Xi Jinping. And this is the Indian leader's first visit in more than 7 years, and here we are again.
>> During today's meeting, the with the Chinese leader, Modi said that uh, China is a partner, not a rival. Do you have an opinion about this statement?
>> I think India and China have a lot of potential going forward. uh, uh, it depends on how both sides want to frame it. If uh, they decide to build uh, on the strengths, and if they decide to explore convergence, then uh, then there's a lot going for the two countries. But if they remain stuck on uh, historical differences and border issues, which are very important too, uh, then both sides stand to lose. So, I think this is, this is going to uh, take an effort from both sides, and, and the proof of, of this, and the success of this meeting will be measured in actions rather than words.
The visuals of Tianjin featured in her program were absolutely stunning, easily outshining the footage that BBC reporters typically capture when they're in Beijing. Paky arrived in Tianjin as part of the Indian media delegation, getting there ahead of the official summit opening. Over those few days, she focused on preliminary reporting and took time to explore Tianjin, this historic city with such deep roots. Her program showed her wandering through Tianjin streets, visiting cultural landmarks, and diving into the city's rich history that spans centuries. She painted a picture of a place that honors its past while embracing the future with open arms and unshakable confidence. The coverage was genuinely impressive.
When you strip away all the preconceptions and bias, Pocky must have felt absolutely overwhelmed facing the massive gap between China and India. The country she'd spent so much time criticizing in her broadcasts turned out to be nothing short of miraculous. Compared to India, China looked like paradise. Anyone would be left speechless by that reality. It brings back memories of the late 80s and early 90s when the first wave of Chinese visitors made it to America. Standing on the streets of New York, they experienced that same sense of unreality. That feeling mirrors the intense shock of seeing the stark contrast between China and India today. If anything, the gap between China and India now might be even more dramatic than what those Chinese travelers witnessed back then.
And some of you may be wondering, why is China hosting the summit here? After all, Beijing is the capital of China, and Shanghai is where the SCO was born. So why pick this summit? Well, the answer lies in history. This city was once divided into foreign concessions. Parts of Tianjin were controlled by other countries. China had no authority there. Today, those same streets are back in Chinese hands. Old colonial houses have Chinese cafes and shops now. And by hosting the summit here, Beijing wants to send a message that a city once occupied by the West is now being used as a stage to challenge the Western-led global order.
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Why did China pick Tianjin to host this year's SCO summit? For many watching from the outside, Beijing or Shanghai would seem the natural choice. Beijing is the capital of China, while Shanghai is where the SCO was born. As the name says it, Shanghai Cooperation Organization. So, Tianjin was a surprise pick. But why? The answer lies here in the streets of Tianjin. These are not ordinary homes. They are practically heritage sites. This place is often described as an open museum. Tianjin is the fourth largest city of China, and it carries an unusual nickname. It is called the outdoor museum, and that's because of what surrounds me. This city is an extraordinary collection of preserved historical architecture, buildings from different countries and different eras all standing together. And where we are right now is called the Five Great Avenues. It is home to more than 2,000 historical buildings. More than 400 of them have been designated as protected historical sites with plaques like this one. It says, "Great General Protection, Historical and Stylistic Architecture of Tianjin." You'll see this all over the place here. And this is what makes the city so unique. It is a modern city, but it also feels like a living exhibition where each street and each district is part of the display.
The homes in Tianjin's Five Great Avenues are direct architectural remnants of China's colonial period. They reflect the foreign concession system. The system emerged after China's military defeats in the 19th century. This is what used to be a part of the British concession, one of many concessions in Tianjin. According to one claim, there were a total of nine. Each was a designated area not governed by China. It was controlled by a foreign country, like a mini country within China, with its own laws, its own police, its own courts, its own administration, and completely outside Chinese control. Each concession brought with it a piece of another country, all planted onto Chinese soil. That is no longer the case today. These buildings are now firmly in Chinese hands. The streets are lined with Chinese shops and cafes. Modern-day Chinese coffee and food chains now operate from colonial buildings. They represent today's China, the world's second largest economy and a force to reckon with. That is the message that Xi Jinping wants to send as the host of the SCO summit.
The city sits on Bohai Bay. It is the maritime gateway to Beijing, a strategic city also central to the Belt and Road Initiative. Tianjin serves as a connection between land corridors and sea trade routes. It plays a growing role in regional trade logistics. Its port is connected with more than 180 countries and regions. Freight trains now link Tianjin directly with Central Asia and Europe. One recent route from Tianjin to Pakistan shortened delivery distance by 800 km. This city is strategically important for China's SCO outreach. The SCO represents around 40% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP. So the subtext is clear. It is not just about hosting a summit. It is about sending a message, a shift in balance. From the West's G7 summits and castles and resorts, to the Global South's SCO summit in a city once scarred by colonialism. Tianjin was once a gateway for colonizers. Today, Beijing wants it to be the gateway for the Global South. From concessions to connections, from being carved up to carving out a new world order. That's why Tianjin, not Beijing, not Shanghai, but a city that carries the scars of the past and the ambitions of the future.
>> So, here's what really gets you thinking. Pocky Sharma spent years building her career on criticizing China, painting it as this problematic nation that posed all sorts of threats. But the moment she actually stepped foot in the country, something fundamentally shifted. You could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, watch it in the way she moved through those historic streets of Tianjin. Maybe that tells us something pretty important about the whole media landscape. When you're sitting in a studio thousands of miles away, it's easy to repeat talking points and stick to narratives that get ratings. But when you're actually walking through those preserved colonial buildings that now house Chinese cafes, when you're seeing firsthand how a city once carved up by foreign powers is transformed into this thriving gateway to the world, reality has a way of hitting you hard. The truth is, Pocky probably knew exactly what she was doing all those years. The anti-China angle sells. It gets clicks. It keeps viewers engaged. It fits perfectly into certain geopolitical storylines that audiences expect to hear. But strip away the studio lights and the pressure to deliver punchy sound bites, and you get a journalist who can actually appreciate the incredible transformation she's witnessing. It makes you wonder how many other media figures are in the same boat. How many of them are playing roles they don't necessarily believe in because that's what the job demands. Pocky's dramatic shift in China wasn't really about her changing her mind. It was about her finally being able to show who she actually is when the cameras aren't rolling for controversy. And honestly, that might be the most human story of all. Sometimes it takes physically being somewhere, breathing the air, meeting the people to remember that behind all the headlines and heated rhetoric, there are real places with real stories worth understanding.
What do you think about all this? Did Pocky's transformation surprise you as much as it surprised everyone else? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. If you found this story as eye-opening as I did, go ahead and hit that like button. And hey, if you want to keep digging into these kinds of stories that challenge what we think we know about the world, make sure to subscribe and ring that notification bell. Next time, we'll be uncovering even more truths that might just change how you see.