China Positions Itself as Global Counterweight to Western Institutions at SCO Summit Hosting Autocrats, Populists, and Leaders of Major Democracies

This weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping will host a summit in Tianjin, marking the largest gathering to date for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Heads of state and delegations from across Asia and the Middle East will attend the two-day event, which showcases Beijing as a global leader aiming to counterbalance Western institutions.

The SCO, a regional security grouping, includes China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, collectively governing approximately 40% of the global population and presiding over significant energy reserves.

The summit offers Xi an opportunity to emphasize China’s role as a stable and powerful alternative leader amidst the turbulence created by the United States under President Donald Trump, who has been shaking up alliances and engaging in a global trade war.

In addition to diplomatic discussions, the gathering precedes a military parade in Beijing that highlights China’s growing military might. Attendees will include autocrats such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing, alongside Putin and Russia-friendly European leaders like Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Slovakia’s Robert Fico.

The event also provides a platform for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently met with Trump in Alaska, to regain international focus as he continues to disregard international pressure regarding his ongoing offensive in Ukraine. This week, Russian forces conducted the second-largest aerial attack since invading their neighbor.

Ahead of the summit, Putin praised the China-Russia partnership as a “stabilizing force” for the world, stating that both nations share a vision of creating a just, multipolar world order – a reference to their joint efforts to challenge the US-led world order perceived as unfairly biased against them.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the summit adds weight to Xi’s guest list, particularly considering Modi’s absence last year in Kazakhstan. As relations with Washington deteriorate and China and India work towards easing their own tensions, this gathering could mark the beginning of a significant realignment that may impact US strategies aimed at counterbalancing a rising China.

In addition to SCO members, delegations are expected from its 16 official partner and observer countries, such as Cambodia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, NATO member Turkey, and others. Southeast Asian leaders have also been invited, along with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Throughout Tianjin, banners announcing the summit in English, Russian, and Chinese line the highways. The city will host ceremonies typical of high-level Chinese diplomacy as Chinese leaders prepare to welcome their guests. The location holds symbolic significance for China, having been opened by colonial powers in the 19th century and occupied by Japan during World War II.

Some attendees, including Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will also participate in a military parade in Beijing, where China’s ruling Communist Party will showcase its military might and emphasize its role in fighting Imperial Japan during World War II.

Since its establishment in 2001, the SCO has expanded both in size and scope, conducting joint counter-terrorism drills, sharing intelligence on combatting terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and increasing coordination across areas like education, trade, and energy. Members also advocate for a just international order – one not led by a single superpower and its allies.

Iran’s inclusion in the group in 2023 and Belarus’ addition a year later are seen as attempts by China and Russia to make the organization more explicitly anti-West, contributing to growing concerns in Washington regarding increasing bonds between Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran.

The summit may generate momentum towards economic integration among member countries, particularly in regional trade or development finance, although expectations for practical developments remain low. However, without a clear mission or strategy for resolving internal conflicts within the SCO or between members and external countries, some analysts view the organization as merely a showcase.

Even though the SCO regularly advocates against bloc, ideological, or confrontational approaches to security threats, its summits have yet to produce a joint statement addressing the war in Ukraine. The group also appeared to have minimal involvement in de-escalating conflicts between members India and Pakistan earlier this year.