Xi to Lead Major SCO Summit with Putin, Modi

By Staff, Agencies

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host over 20 world leaders in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1 for the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO] summit.

Beijing aims to highlight Global South unity and support Russia amid international sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the SCO summit, with Modi visiting China for the first time in over seven years.

His trip aims to ease tensions after the 2020 border clashes. Moscow has also expressed interest in future trilateral talks with China and India.

Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project, told Reuters that Xi aims to use the summit to showcase a post-American-led world order, highlighting that US efforts to counter China, Iran, Russia, and India have failed.

He noted how BRICS has unsettled former President Trump, which aligns with the group's goals.

China’s Foreign Ministry called the SCO “an important force in building a new type of international relations.”

Originally focused on security and counterterrorism, the bloc has expanded to 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue and observer states, broadening into economic and military cooperation.

After the summit, Modi will return to India, while Putin will stay in China to join a World War II military parade, marking a rare extended overseas visit.