Did Xi Jinping & Angela Merkel Refuse To Shake Hands With PM Modi? No!

Both these videos have been clipped to mislead the viewers.

Fact-Check | The videos have been clipped to take a dig at PM Narendra Modi.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A set of two videos showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi getting snubbed while offering handshakes to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping is going viral on the internet.

What do the viral posts say?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium user shared the video with a caption that said, “Xi avoided infamous Hand shake of Modi ji, seems he is aware of after effects (sic).” 

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

This post has gained over a ten lakh views on the platform. More archives of similar claims can be found here and here.

What is the truth?: Both these videos have been clipped. Longer versions show PM Modi shaking hands with both Merkel and Xi Jinping at the respective events.

Details about the first video: We performed a keyword search with the words “Angela Merkel PM Modi handshake” and found the full version of the viral video.

• The video was published on 30 May 2017 and its description said, “PM Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel during a press conference.”

• It was posted on the official YouTube channel of The Tribune.

• Towards the end of the video, one can see PM Modi and Merkel shaking hands.

News reports: As per a Financial Express report, PM Modi was on a four-nation tour of Germany, Spain, Russia, and France in May 2017. This image was taken during a press conference during intergovernmental consultations in Berlin.

The report was published on 30 May 2017.

(Source: Financial Express/Screenshot)

What about the second video?: Another round of keyword search with the phrases “PM Modi Xi Jinping handshake” directed us to the longer version of PM Modi and the Chinese President’s meeting.

• This was posted on 23 October on the official YouTube channel of ANI News.

• Its description mentioned, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit..”

• It can be clearly seen that both leaders shook hands in front of their respective country’s national flag.

Conclusion: Evidently, the videos have been clipped to take a dig at PM Modi. 

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