What's happened
Leaders of China, India, and Russia gathered at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, signaling a shift towards a more multipolar world. The summit emphasized regional stability, opposition to US dominance, and cooperation on security and economic issues amid ongoing tensions with Western nations.
What's behind the headline?
The summit underscores China's ambition to reshape global governance by promoting multipolarity and challenging US dominance. The leaders' displays of camaraderie serve as a calculated message to Western powers, especially amid US tariffs and diplomatic tensions. Xi Jinping's call for rejecting Cold War mentalities and rival blocs signals China's intent to lead a more balanced, just international system. The presence of Putin and Modi, smiling and engaging, is a deliberate demonstration of regional alliances that bypass Western influence. The summit's focus on economic and security cooperation, despite limited concrete commitments, aims to project strength and coherence in China's foreign policy. The timing, against the backdrop of US tariffs and diplomatic disputes, suggests a strategic effort to solidify China's leadership role and encourage other nations to seek alternatives to Western-led institutions. The emphasis on opposing hegemonism and promoting fairness indicates China's long-term goal of establishing a new global order where it plays a central role, potentially at the expense of US influence. The summit also signals a broader geopolitical realignment, with Russia and China reaffirming their partnership and expanding influence in Central Asia and beyond, while Western powers face increasing diplomatic isolation.
What the papers say
The South China Morning Post highlights China's efforts to position itself as a global leader and the summit's symbolism, emphasizing China's call for a multipolar world and regional stability. Bloomberg's Marc Champion offers a more skeptical view, noting that the summit's concrete outcomes are limited, and the display of camaraderie is more about projecting strength than achieving tangible results. Champion points out that the SCO lacks binding defense commitments and that the military displays and diplomatic gestures are aimed at contrasting Western chaos and weakness, especially in light of US tariffs and diplomatic disputes. The Guardian emphasizes the overt displays of camaraderie among Xi, Modi, and Putin as a message of defiance to Western powers, particularly the US, which has recently imposed tariffs on India. Hannah Ellis-Petersen notes that the leaders' friendly interactions are a calculated move to demonstrate independence from Western influence, with Modi's visit marking a significant shift from previous hostility towards China. The articles collectively suggest that while the summit's immediate achievements are modest, its strategic significance lies in China's effort to forge a new geopolitical narrative and regional alliances that challenge US-led global order.
How we got here
The SCO summit in Tianjin reflects China's strategic push to elevate its geopolitical profile amid perceived US decline. The organization, founded in 2001, aims to counter terrorism, extremism, and promote regional economic integration. Recent meetings have focused on asserting multipolarity, with China emphasizing fairness, justice, and opposition to hegemonism, against a backdrop of global tensions over conflicts like Ukraine and the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.
Go deeper
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
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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.
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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.
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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.