China Hosts Shanghai Cooperation Organisation โSummit Amidst โRising Global Tensions
QINGDAO, CHINA – China โฃis hosting the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) thisโ week, as geopolitical instability mounts across multiple fronts. The gathering, taking place inโข Qingdao, brings together leaders from member states including Russia, India, Iran, and Pakistan, alongside observer and dialog partners. This year’s summit is particularly โฃsignificant given escalating global crises and the potential for shifts in international power dynamics, including the prospect of a second Donald โฃTrump presidency in the United โฃStates.
Theโ SCO, originally founded in 2001 โฃas a security bloc focused on counter-terrorism, has evolved into a broad platform for political, economic, and security cooperation across Eurasia.With global trade increasingly fragmented and new โขsanctions regimes emerging,the summit provides โa space for โขnationsโฃ seeking alternatives to Western-led institutions and a forum to address shared concerns. China’s trade with SCO members, observers, and โขdialogue partners reached a record โฃ$890 billion in 2024, representing 14.4% of its total foreignโค trade.
Chinese โฃPresident Xi Jinping is scheduledโค to hold bilateral talks with several leaders on the sidelines of theโข summit, includingโฃ Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkishโข President Recep Tayyip Erdoฤan. Following the summit, Xiโ will hostโฃ Putin and North Koreanโ leader Kim Jong-un at a large-scale military โparade on September 3rd, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The summit also โpresents โคa key prospect for Iran โto garner support against recently imposedโ “snapback” sanctions โฃon its nuclear program by the UK, germany, and France, a move already opposed by China and Russia. For India, theโค Qingdao meetingโฃ marks Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in โขover seven years, following lingeringโข tensions stemming from โ2020 border clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir, andโ potentially his first encounter with Pakistani Prime Ministerโ Shehbaz Sharif after a four-day armed conflict โขbetween the two countries in May.
Beyond โsecurity concerns, โChina is leveraging the SCO platform to promote its technological initiatives. Beijing has โpledged 1,000 โฃtraining โopportunities in digital technology over the next three yearsโ and is inviting partners to join itsโฃ BeiDouโ navigation โขsystemโข and the โInternational Lunar Research โStation project. The previous SCO leaders’ summit, held in Astana, โคKazakhstan in Julyโ 2024, resultedโ in the adoption of โค25 strategic documentsโ covering areas such as energy, โขsecurity, finance, and facts security. Analysts view this year’s summit as a demonstration of “Global โSouth” solidarity, particularly in anticipation of potential policy changes under a future โTrump governance, which previously โขimposed “reciprocal” tariffsโ on China and India.