Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Russian, Iranian, and other leaders to work towards safeguarding regional peace as he addressed a virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Xi emphasized the need for efforts to ensure common security and called on member states of the organization to enhance solidarity and mutual trust. Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed the meeting, his first summit since a failed rebellion occurred in the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the host of the summit, criticized countries that use cross-border terrorism as a policy instrument and called on the SCO to not hesitate in criticizing such nations. Modi stressed that terrorism remains a major threat to regional and global peace and emphasized the necessity of decisive action to tackle the challenge. The summit also includes Pakistan, with its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledging the event as an important forum for regional security and prosperity. The SCO, created in 2001, is a platform for discussions on security and economic matters and its members include countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with Belarus and Mongolia serving as observers. Iran is set to join the grouping, as it seeks to strengthen its diplomacy, improve its economy, and reduce its isolation. With its vast membership spanning from Moscow to Beijing and accounting for approximately half the world’s population, the SCO holds significant geopolitical influence. India, which hosts the G20 summit in September, faces a delicate balancing act as it is a member of both the SCO and the Quad, an alliance with the US, Japan, and Australia aimed at countering China’s assertiveness. India’s complex relations with Russia, including arms trade and territorial disputes, further contribute to this delicate diplomatic situation.