Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, September 1, hosted a high-profile summit in Tianjin, attended by more than 20 world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi.
The two-day event brought together heads of state from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and its observer countries to discuss regional security and economic cooperation.
At the opening session, Xi criticised what he described as “bullying behaviour” in the current global order.
He urged leaders to uphold fairness and justice while rejecting Cold War-era confrontations and unilateral coercion.
“The current international situation is becoming chaotic and intertwined,” Xi said. “The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging.
Despite tumultuous times, we have achieved success by practicing the Shanghai spirit.”
The SCO, which comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, also has 16 observer or dialogue partner nations.
The organisation is often touted by China and Russia as an alternative to Western-led alliances such as NATO.
Footage from the summit showed Xi, Putin, and Modi engaging in discussions and posing for group photos with other SCO leaders on a red carpet.
The summit focused on fostering regional stability, deepening economic ties, and promoting cooperation in security, technology, and energy sectors.
Xi highlighted the need for continued collaboration amid global turbulence. “Looking to the future, with the world undergoing transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit, keep our feet on the ground, and better perform the functions of the organisation,” he said.
Observers noted that the SCO summit comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tension, with Russia facing Western sanctions and India navigating complex regional relations.
China, as the host, used the platform to assert its vision of multipolarity and cooperative development while countering narratives of global coercion.
The Tianjin summit is expected to produce joint declarations on regional security, anti-terrorism efforts, and expanded trade agreements among member states.
Analysts believe the meeting also serves as a symbolic demonstration of China and Russia’s leadership in Eurasian affairs, especially amid growing competition with Western powers.
The event underscores the SCO’s increasing influence as a diplomatic and economic bloc in global affairs.
Leaders are expected to leave Tianjin with concrete plans to strengthen collaboration in trade, technology, and security, reinforcing the organisation’s relevance in a changing world order.
