【Text by Observer Net, Wang Yi】The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit was held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. This is the fifth time China has hosted the SCO Summit and also the largest one since the establishment of the SCO in 2001. More than 20 foreign leaders, including Russian President Putin and Indian Prime Minister Modi, as well as 10 heads of international organizations will attend.
Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the U.S. South-Central Project website, told Al Jazeera that the reason for the large number of international leaders attending this summit is that the SCO provides a space for dialogue and cooperation outside the "U.S.-led international system," thereby creating new strategic room for maneuver for China in global affairs.
Cui Heng, a lecturer at the China-SCO International Judicial Cooperation and Exchange Training Base at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, also analyzed that the continuous expansion of the SCO over the past two decades has enabled it to transcend the traditionally mentioned Central Asian core area, forming a unique niche. Currently, the SCO's coverage of the Eurasian continent and its "non-Western nature" means there is no other international organization that can compete with it, and there are almost no alternative institutions. In fact, member states may continue to expand to other countries in the Eurasian continent in the future.
Guest lineup is "globally heavyweight"
According to reports, the guest list of this year's SCO Summit can be described as "globally heavyweight," including more than 20 foreign leaders such as Russian President Putin, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, and Belarusian President Lukashenko, as well as 10 heads of international organizations and multilateral mechanisms, such as UN Secretary-General Guterres and SCO Secretary-General Ermekov.
On August 30, Ermekov, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (right), arrived in Tianjin to attend the SCO Summit. SCO official website
Al Jazeera reported that among them, the visit of Modi, who had not visited China for seven years, was particularly noteworthy. Despite India's long-term closeness with the United States, recently, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods citing India's purchase of Russian oil, which instead accelerated the easing of Sino-Indian relations.
In a written response to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, Modi pointed out that this visit "comes at a critical moment for Sino-Indian relations," emphasizing the importance of bilateral relations for regional peace and prosperity. He stated, "Stable, predictable, and friendly relations between these two largest countries on Earth can have a positive impact on regional and global peace... It is also crucial for the multipolarization of Asia and the world."
Analysts believe that China intends to further promote strategic dialogue between China and India through this summit. Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies who specializes in China's global strategy, predicts that the official statements after the summit will become an important signal for observing the development of Sino-Indian relations.
Al Jazeera noted that the arrival of Putin was also highly anticipated, marking his first visit to China after his meeting with Trump in Alaska at the beginning of this month. The public will closely watch the wording regarding Sino-Russian relations in the statement.
Russian TASS reported that on the evening of August 30, Vladimir Ushakov, Russia's presidential assistant for international affairs, held a press conference to introduce the schedule of Putin's visit to China. Ushakov said that Putin would lead a "large-scale" delegation to China, and staying in China for such a long time is "rare." He also revealed that Putin is expected to meet with several foreign leaders during his stay in China.
On the same day, before departing for China, Putin praised the partnership between the two countries as a "stabilizing force" for the world in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. He emphasized that Russia and China have formed a "united front" to jointly oppose discriminatory sanctions in world trade, which hinder the socio-economic development of BRICS member states and the entire world.
The New York Times noticed that leaders of numerous emerging economies, including Putin, Modi, Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia, are holding meetings in China, forming a sharp contrast with the growing discord within the U.S. and European allies and their Asian partners.
Olander stated that the SCO has become an important part of China's "parallel international governance structure," creating a space for dialogue and cooperation outside the "U.S.-led international system." Especially against the backdrop of Trump's reckless initiation of trade wars with many countries around the globe, participants can share their "common frustrations" at the SCO Summit.
"China is not only a participant in shaping regional order, but also a major designer and host," said Rabia Akhtar, director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Policy Studies at Lahore University of Management Sciences, analyzing to CNN. She said that China wants to tell the world that it has the ability to bring rivals to the same table, transforming great power competition into controllable mutual dependence.
It is reported that after the summit on September 1, some of the attending leaders will remain to hold bilateral meetings and then go to Beijing to attend the September 3 military parade. At that time, leaders such as Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea, Serbian President Vučić, and Slovak Prime Minister Fico will also attend the parade.
Claus Soong pointed out that the large guest list attracted by the SCO summit and the subsequent September 3 military parade will further enhance China's influence in the Global South, "This is how China demonstrates its circle of friends."
"The expansion of the SCO shows a deep Chinese imprint"
The SCO was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. After more than 20 years of development, the SCO has continuously expanded its influence and the scope of member states, evolving into a "SCO family" covering 26 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. From the initial six founding members, the SCO has welcomed four new members: India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. It also has two observer states—Afghanistan and Mongolia—and 14 dialogue partners. More and more countries wish to join the SCO. Countries such as Armenia and Azerbaijan, who attended this summit, had previously expressed their desire to join the SCO, and even NATO member Turkey has expressed a desire to join.
Now, the SCO is the largest regional group in terms of population, and it possesses the world's largest energy reserves.
On August 27, Han Lu, vice director and researcher of the Institute of European and Eurasian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, delivered a lecture at the second "Today Eurasia" online lecture hosted by the Russian Research Center at East China Normal University, the Ministry of Education's joint research institute for Russia, and the Shanghai first-class university think tank for regional cooperation and development collaborative innovation center. He stated that the Chinese imprint in the process of the SCO's continuous expansion is very profound and plays an irreplaceable important role. This is mainly reflected in four aspects: First, constantly enriching cooperative concepts; Second, promoting institutional and systemic construction of the organization to ensure sustainable development; Third, making strategic planning to guide the direction of the SCO's development; Fourth, actively promoting cooperation in various fields to ensure that the SCO maintains vigorous vitality.
Han Lu gave examples, stating that since 2015, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Institution Council has been continuously holding joint counter-terrorism exercises in Xiamen. In 2017, China established the China-SCO International Judicial Cooperation and Exchange Training Base. China also launched the China-Eurasian Economic Cooperation Fund and set up a 3 billion RMB equivalent special loan within the framework of the SCO Bank Consortium. These financial investments have played an important role in promoting economic cooperation. China has successively opened local economic and trade cooperation, such as agricultural technology exchange training in Qingdao and the technology transfer demonstration base in Yangling, Shaanxi.
From the perspective of Cui Heng, a lecturer at the China-SCO International Judicial Cooperation and Exchange Training Base at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, the expansion of the SCO has enhanced its regional reach and increased the diversity of its members, enabling the SCO to transcend the traditionally mentioned Central Asian core area, thus obtaining a unique niche. Currently, in the Eurasian region covered by the SCO, there is no other international organization that can compete with it. Moreover, the "non-Western nature" of the SCO means there is almost no alternative institution, such as including non-Western giants like China, Russia, India, and Iran, and it may even expand to other countries in the Eurasian continent in the future.
Al Jazeera found that over the past 20 years, the focus of the SCO Summits has shifted from Central Asian issues to broader global affairs.
Daniel Balazs, a researcher at the China Program of the Rajaratnam School of International Relations at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, expects that a joint statement will be issued after this summit, which may include expressions opposing "unilateralism," but the overall wording will be weakened to accommodate the positions of all parties. Balazs believes that the content of the statement will likely revolve around security and stability, economic cooperation, and the importance of multilateralism.
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