Chinese President Xi Jinping used the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin to criticize “bullying behavior” in the world and advocate for a new global security order that challenges US dominance. In a speech to regional leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and India’s Narendra Modi, Xi called on the group to “adhere to fairness and justice… oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behavior.”
The SCO, which is holding a two-day summit, includes China, Pakistan, India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus as permanent members, with 16 more countries as observers or dialogue partners. Xi stated that the SCO has established a new model for international relations and that the forum unequivocally opposes external interference and power politics. He also emphasized the importance of multilateralism and constructive participation in global affairs.
Putin Links Ukraine Peace to NATO Expansion
Russian President Vladimir Putin also used the summit as a platform to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. He stated that for a “sustainable and long-term” peace, the “root causes of the crisis” must be addressed, which he identified as NATO’s eastward expansion. Putin said that the West had tried to bring Ukraine into its orbit and the US-led NATO military alliance, which he views as a humiliation to Russia.
Putin praised the peace efforts and proposals from China and India. He also mentioned that “understandings” reached at a recent summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska opened a way to peace in Ukraine. He said he had detailed these discussions to Xi Jinping and would provide more details in bilateral meetings with other leaders.
China and India Mend Ties
The summit also served as an opportunity for Beijing to improve its relations with New Delhi. Modi, visiting China for the first time in seven years, and Xi agreed that their countries are development partners, not rivals. They also discussed ways to improve trade relations amid global tariff uncertainties. China and India remain the largest purchasers of crude oil from Russia, a key factor in Russia’s war economy, despite additional tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
