Tianjin:  Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host more than 20 world leaders at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The summit aims to demonstrate a unified stance among Global South countries amid shifting global power dynamics and changing U.S. foreign policy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the high-profile attendees. Modi’s visit marks his first to China in over seven years, as both countries work to ease tensions following deadly border clashes in 2020.

The SCO summit underscores China’s efforts to strengthen its influence within the bloc and promote a post-American-led international order. While analysts acknowledge the summit as a significant display of solidarity, they caution that the event may be more about optics than concrete outcomes, especially given ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Putin is expected to stay in China beyond the summit to attend a World War II military parade, highlighting the growing closeness between Russia and China. The summit serves as a prominent signal of the shifting global power balance and the rising importance of Global South cooperation, even as questions remain about the bloc’s long-term effectiveness.