The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Rising Counterweight to Western Influence
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), comprised of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is rapidly evolving into a significant force on the global stage. Originally conceived as a regional security pact, the SCO now boasts two observer states – Afghanistan and Mongolia – and fourteen “dialog partners” including Egypt, Armenia, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, myanmar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
Representing 40% of the world’s population and 25% of global GDP,the SCO has transitioned from a regional focus to a platform with increasingly global ambitions.In a world marked by conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, the institution is positioning itself as a counterweight to established Western alliances like NATO and the G7.Crucially, the SCO champions multilateralism, a principle seemingly challenged by recent protectionist policies reminiscent of Cold war dynamics.
Prior to its latest meeting, the SCO explicitly voiced support for “an open, obvious, fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the central role of the World Trade Organization, and (…) an open global economy.” The outcomes of the 25th SCO meeting demonstrate a clear intent to solidify its role in global trade, especially as geo-economic and geopolitical tensions reshape international exchange routes.Discussions encompassed key areas including politics, security, trade, investment, energy, industry, enduring development, and emerging technologies.
However, the SCO’s stance on current conflicts reveals internal contradictions. While members strongly condemned the “humanitarian disaster” unfolding in Gaza, they refrained from criticizing the situation in Ukraine, effectively aligning with Russia’s narrative and its claim that a Western-backed coup instigated the conflict in 2014. Similarly, the SCO unequivocally condemned attacks on Iran, particularly those attributed to the United States and Israel targeting its nuclear facilities.
China’s economic support for Russia following Western sanctions underscores a growing strategic alignment. This relationship casts doubt on the sincerity of past interactions between former U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin, suggesting the latter may have leveraged those meetings for image enhancement and power legitimization.
Perhaps the most significant development is China’s push to establish a development bank and an international platform for energy cooperation and green industries. Beijing pledged $1.4 billion in loans to SCO member states over the next three years, directly countering the impact of U.S. tariffs.Furthermore, China announced the opening of its BeiDou satellite system, offering an alternative to the U.S.-controlled GPS.
Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated the current global climate as “a new period of tumultuous change,and global governance [having] reached a new crossroads,” attributing much of the instability to what he characterized as a “Cold War mentality” emanating from the United States.
(Originally published in El Financiero de México on September 3, 2025, by Omar Cepeda, Host at @ElFinancieroTV and Columnist at @ElFinanciero_Mx and @lasillarota)