Summit could challenge US dominance and lend weight to China’s vision of a multipolar world

The leaders of Russia, China, India and seven other nations met yesterday in northern China for the latest annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in what could be an emerging challenge to America’s global leadership.

The 10-member SCO, which gathered in the port city of Tianjin, has grown in size and influence since its founding 24 years ago, even while its goals and programs remain unclear and name recognition low.

The full membership also includes Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Originally seen as a foil to U.S. influence in Central Asia, the organization expanded to include India and Pakistan in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

Some of those are clear foes of the West, especially Iran and close Russian ally Belarus. Others including India, China and Russia have a more nebulous relationship, given Washington’s wobbly stance on Russia’s war with Ukraine and the U.S. tariffs that have upended trading relationships with countries such as China and India.

From a regional bloc to a broader alliance

Since its 2001 founding, the SCO primarily has been dominated by China, the regional economic superpower, with Russia seeking to use the group to maintain its influence over former Central Asian Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

While Russia’s economic influence has declined steadily, especially under increasingly severe Western sanctions, both Russia and China have used the alliance as a framework for regional military cooperation, albeit limited to joint drills and firing competitions.

Belarus, Iran, Pakistan and India joined later in an apparent attempt to share in the SCO’s budding influence, though the value of their membership is debatable. Iran and Belarus have faced international condemnation over sanctions and human rights violations, while Pakistan is highly dependent on China for military hardware.

Group showcases Xi’s multipolarity vision

University of Chicago political scientist Dali Yang said the SCO is one of the most prominent regional organizations China has co-founded.

“For China’s leadership, there is a lot of emphasis on maintaining existing relations in the international arena even though the SCO has not been effective in dealing with the major challenges of today,” Yang said.

The SCO seems to want to move from being a dialogue platform to a “full-fledged mechanism of practical cooperation that brings tangible results to the citizens of the member states,” said June Teufel Dreyer, a University of Miami expert on Chinese politics. Yet the questions remain, “to what end and how?”

For China’s President Xi Jinping, “presiding over the gathering in Tianjin should net him some favorable publicity and possibly further his image as leader of a new global world order,” Dreyer said.

India’s entry could change the equation

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began, India has become a major buyer of Russian oil, increasing tensions with Washington. Modi also remarked on “steady progress” in improving relations with China after meeting its top diplomat in August and noted “respect for each other’s interests and sensitiveness.’’

India’s SCO entry potentially challenges Russian and Chinese domination over the association. Despite their trade ties, India is unlikely to offer meaningful support for Russia’s war in Ukraine or China’s claims on the South China Sea.

India has also long sought a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council but has received only tepid backing from China and Russia, possibly to prevent their influence with the West from being diluted. Still, New Delhi stands to lose little as long as Washington continues to broadcast uncertainty with its foreign trade.

India refused to sign a joint statement at an SCO defense ministers meeting in June because it saw a pro-Pakistan stance in the omission of a mention of a deadly April 22 mass shooting of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Largest-ever SCO summit

The official Xinhua News Agency called the Tianjin gathering the “largest-ever SCO summit in history” and said it would chart “the blueprint for the bloc’s next decade of development.”

The leaders of about a dozen other countries joined the summit as dialogue partners or guests, including Egypt, Nepal and several Southeast Asian nations.

Citing growing trade and rail freight between China and other members, observer states and dialogue partners, Beijing seems eager to emphasize the bloc’s economic benefits.

Documents being signed yesterday included a statement on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China’s ruling Communist Party will mark with a military parade in central Beijing on Sept. 3. Many of the same leaders will attend the parade, where North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will make a rare overseas appearance. CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, MDT/AP