August 31, 2025

Hold onto your hats! The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit has fired up in the buzzing Chinese city of Tianjin. It’s no ordinary meet-up — this is the world's biggest regional group by population, hosting over 20 top leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SCO started out in 2001 with six Central Asian countries. But guess what? It now packs a punch on the global stage with big players from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The summit is more than just a photo op. It’s a grand arena for tough talks and tricky alliances. Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project, says it’s part of China’s “parallel international governance architecture.” In other words, this bloated bloc is China’s way of rewriting global rules away from the US-led system. With US President Donald Trump’s fiery trade war heating up, many leaders here share “common grievances,” making the atmosphere even more sizzling. Not all smiles though! Underneath the handshake smiles, tensions simmer. India and China still have cold vibes despite their 2024 border deal, and India-Pakistan rivalry remains sharp. Saudi Arabia and Iran keep their historic feud alive, while Central Asian countries eye each other warily. The summit attracted a colorful mix, from Putin, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, to Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, plus heavy hitters like UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus recently joined as full SCO members, with Afghanistan and Mongolia watching closely as observers. Southeast Asia’s “swing states,” including Malaysia and Indonesia, also flex their muscles here. India faces a tricky game. Traditionally close to the US, it now fights Trump’s 50% tariffs for buying Russian oil. China, meanwhile, sees this as a golden chance to woo India away from US-led groups like QUAD — changing old friendships in a snap. Analysts will watch closely for sparks when Modi and Xi Jinping meet for the first time in seven years. Meanwhile, Putin and Xi are stacking their friendship too. After their recent talks with Trump, they’ll use this chance to push their “no limits partnership” that stood firm when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Experts like Daniel Balazs from Singapore expect a safe, watered-down joint statement to please everyone, focusing on "security and stability" and a gentle poke against “unilateralism” — thinly veiled criticism of the US. After the summit, leaders head to Beijing for a grand military parade on September 3, celebrating 80 years since World War II’s end in Asia. This parade is not just a show — it’s China’s big stage to flaunt its circle of friends from the Global South, sending a bold message to the world. Who meets whom on September 2 will be the juicy secret for the world to spy on. Modi might skip the parade but could send his foreign minister to keep India’s flag flying. In this sizzling mix of old rivalries, fiery trade wars, and power plays, the SCO summit is truly the masaledar global talk fest you don’t want to miss!

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Tags: Shanghai cooperation organisation, Sco summit, Vladimir putin, Narendra modi, China, India-china relations,