Taipei: Leaders from across Eurasia are gathering in the Chinese port city of Tianjin for the latest summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a bloc that has steadily expanded its footprint over the past 24 years but continues to grapple with questions about its true direction and global influence.
The 10-member grouping, which convenes on Sunday and Monday, brings together an eclectic mix of nations, including Russia, China, India, Iran, and Pakistan. The presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscores the political weight of the summit. Some analysts describe the SCO as “the most powerful alliance you’ve never heard of,” with its low public profile contrasting sharply with its ambitions to counterbalance U.S. policies in trade, security, and regional conflicts.
Founded in 2001, the SCO initially served as a China-Russia-led framework for managing security and fostering cooperation in Central Asia. The organization has since widened its membership, bringing in India and Pakistan in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. Today, it includes countries that range from Washington’s fiercest adversaries such as Iran and Belarus to major trading partners like India and China, whose relations with the U.S. remain strained and complicated.
The summit is expected to highlight shared frustrations over Western policies but will also expose internal contradictions. India, for example, has resisted aligning fully with either Russia or China. New Delhi has emerged as one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian oil since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, a move that has rattled Washington, while at the same time maintaining dialogue with Beijing despite longstanding border disputes. Still, India has signaled limits to its cooperation, refusing to endorse a joint SCO statement over the omission of references to a recent terror attack in Kashmir.
China, the region’s economic powerhouse, continues to dominate the SCO’s agenda, using the platform to expand trade, rail connectivity, and energy partnerships across Asia. Russia, weakened by sanctions and a shrinking economy, seeks to retain influence in its former Soviet backyard, though its role is increasingly overshadowed by Beijing’s clout. Meanwhile, smaller members such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan see the SCO as a means to secure investment and diplomatic backing while navigating the rivalry between Moscow and Beijing.
Observers note that while the SCO presents itself as a forum for cooperation, its achievements remain modest. Joint military drills and symbolic exercises have been held, but the organization has not yet demonstrated an ability to address global flashpoints like Ukraine, Taiwan, or the South China Sea. Analysts warn that its diverse membership with competing national interests may hamper collective action.
For Beijing, however, the Tianjin summit offers a stage to project leadership. Chinese state media have promoted the meeting as the “largest-ever SCO summit in history,” emphasizing the bloc’s role in shaping a new era of “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, and respect for diverse civilizations.” Agreements expected to be signed include a joint declaration marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, ahead of a major military parade in Beijing on September 3.
With the leaders of other nations such as Egypt, Nepal, and several Southeast Asian states attending as observers or dialogue partners, China appears keen to showcase the SCO as a platform for economic cooperation beyond its traditional security role. Yet questions linger about whether the grouping can evolve from a symbolic counterweight to the West into a mechanism that delivers real benefits to its citizens.
For President Xi Jinping, hosting the summit offers both international visibility and domestic prestige. As University of Miami scholar June Teufel Dreyer noted, presiding over the gathering allows Xi to burnish his image as a leader of an emerging global order even if the SCO’s practical impact remains uncertain.