"SCO Summit in Tianjin: China, India, Russia and the Global South Vision"

The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit was held in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1, 2025. It was the largest SCO summit ever, attended by over 20 heads of state and leaders of international organizations, including Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Masoud Pezeshkian, Nikol Pashinyan, Alexander Lukashenko, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The summit took place at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center, which was specially renovated for the event. Tianjin was decorated with modern lighting along the Haihe River, and a high-tech media center was set up.

Strategically, the summit focused on promoting multipolarity, global governance reform, and economic cooperation. President Xi Jinping announced 2 billion yuan in aid and 10 billion yuan in loans to strengthen SCO economic integration in fields like AI, infrastructure, energy, and trade. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit for the first time in seven years, signaling a possible thaw in India–China relations, as Xi emphasized that the "dragon and elephant must come together." Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was warmly received, highlighting China–Russia alignment in building a fairer multipolar world. Agreements were signed on cooperation in AI, finance, media, and customs, strengthening the SCO’s role as a key platform for the Global South to push back against Western dominance.

Key Points

Dates & Location: August 31–September 1, 2025, in Tianjin, China.

Venue: Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center 

Attendees: Leaders from 20+ countries, including Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Erdoğan, Lukashenko, Pashinyan, Pezeshkian, and UN chief Guterres.

City Preparations: Modernized drainage, night lighting along Haihe River, futuristic media center.

Xi Jinping’s Announcements:

2 billion yuan in aid.

10 billion yuan in loans for SCO projects.

Push for multipolar global order.

Strategic Highlights:

Emphasis on AI, digital economy, energy, and trade.

India–China outreach (“dragon and elephant must come together”).

Strengthened China–Russia partnership.

Agreements on AI, finance, media, and customs cooperation.

Symbolism:

Modi’s first China visit in 7 years → possible thaw in relations.

Putin welcomed with red carpet → closer Moscow–Beijing ties.

SCO presented as a Global South platform countering Western influence.