What's happened
Leaders of China, Russia, India and Iran are attending the Bishkek summit, with discussions expected on strengthening non-Western ties. While Moscow and Beijing promote a multipolar world, analysts note disagreements among members and limited concrete outcomes. The event marks SCO’s 25th anniversary as it rows against Western-led blocs.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The SCO summit is being framed as a pivot toward a multipolar order, yet the bloc remains a loose coalition with divergent interests (Russia, China, India, Iran).
- Xi, Putin and Modi’s presence underscores a continuity of top-level signaling rather than a unified policy agenda.
- Expect optics and signaling to dominate; tangible outcomes are likely limited to bilateral talks that could recalibrate specific regional alignments.
- Readers should watch for shifts in trade and defense cooperation language, especially around sanctions and non-Western financial mechanisms.
What this means for readers: a realignment of alliances could affect energy markets, technology supply chains and regional security postures in Central and South Asia.
How we got here
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization brings together Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and four Central Asian states, with dialogue partners expanding influence. Founded in 2001, it has grown to include 10 members and 15 dialogue partners, positioning itself as an alternative to Western alliances. The Kyrgyz capital Bishkek hosts the 2026 summit amid broader geopolitical tensions and sanctions affecting member states.
Our analysis
- Independent: outlines SCO membership and the optics of the Xi-Putin-Modi alignment; quotes and context on regional signaling. - France 24: notes Putin and Xi using SCO to present a multipolar world during a period of sanctions and regional tensions. - Nikkei: situates the Bishkek summit within broader geopolitical dynamics including ties to Iran and India. - The New Arab: emphasizes bilateral talks and the evolving relationships among SCO members.
Go deeper
- How could the summit’s pronouncements alter energy and technology cooperation in the region?
- What bilateral meetings are likely to yield concrete policy changes in the near term?
- Which member state stands to gain the most from a reoriented regional order?
More on these topics
-
Kyrgyzstan - Country in Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic and also known as Kirghizia, is a country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain.
-
Masoud Pezeshkian - Member of Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran
Masoud Pezeshkian is an Iranian heart surgeon and reformist politician of Azerbaijani and Kurdish descent who is currently President-elect of Iran.
-
Vladimir Putin - Russian President
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
-
Xi Jinping - General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician serving as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, president of the People's Republic of China, and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
-
Russia - Country
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
-
Narendra Modi - Prime Minister of India
Narendra Damodardas Modi is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi.
-
India - Country in South Asia
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world.
-
Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Country in the Middle East
Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
-
Pakistan - Country in South Asia
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212.2 million. It is the 33rd-largest country by area, spanning 881,913 square kilometres.
-
People’s Republic of China - Country in East Asia
China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.
-
Yuri Ushakov - Russian-Soviet diplomat
Yuri Viktorovich Ushakov is a Russian and former Soviet diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States from 1998 until 2008. Since 2012, he has been an advisor to the President of Russia on foreign policy issues.
-
Shehbaz Sharif - Prime Minister of Pakistan
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of the Pakistan Muslim League.
-
Sadyr Japarov - Kyrgyz politician
Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov is a Kyrgyz politician who is serving as the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan since 14 October 2020.
-
Belarus - Country in Europe
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus and formerly known as Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
-
Türkiye (Turkey) - Country in the Middle East
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe.
-
United States - Country in North America
The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
-
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
-
Bishkek - Capital of Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek, formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chuy Region.
-
Qatar - Country in the Middle East
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
-
Beijing - Capital of China
Beijing, alternatively romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's most populous capital city, with over 21 million residents within an administrative area of 16,410.5 km².
-
Hong Kong - Chinese special administrative region
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People's Republic of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea.