At the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a sharp critique of what he called 'bullying' behaviour in the international order.
He urged leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to “adhere to fairness and justice and work together to oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour.”
The remarks, coming against the backdrop of escalating tariff wars and geopolitical rifts, signal Beijing’s intent to position the SCO as a counterweight to Western-led blocs.
SCO’s expanding reach and economic clout
Xi highlighted that the SCO now represents the world’s largest regional grouping, covering 26 countries with cooperation across more than 50 areas. Collectively, member economies are nearing a combined output of USD 30 trillion.
“Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day,” Xi said, while pointing out that China’s investment in SCO countries has already surpassed USD 84 billion.
He proposed the establishment of an SCO Development Bank and a new security center to address regional challenges, arguing that these institutions would give the grouping more weight in shaping global rules.
Historic milestones and ‘firsts’ of the SCO
The Chinese leader credited the SCO with breaking new ground in multilateralism since its creation.
“We were the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in our border areas, turning our extensive borders into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation,” Xi said.
He added that the bloc pioneered joint actions against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, launched Belt and Road cooperation, and concluded a treaty on long-term good-neighborliness and friendship.
According to Xi, these steps reflected a shared vision of “global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit.”
Push for inclusiveness, people-to-people ties
Calling SCO states 'friends and partners,' Xi urged leaders to respect differences, build consensus, and strengthen solidarity.
“SCO member states need to enhance mutual understanding and friendship through people-to-people exchanges, firmly support one another in economic cooperation, and jointly cultivate a garden of civilizations in which all cultures flourish in prosperity and harmony through mutual enlightenment,” he said.
He also announced 100 small-scale projects aimed at improving livelihoods across member countries, signaling China’s intent to embed its influence through grassroots development.
Economic alignment and Belt and Road push
Xi pressed for better alignment of development strategies across member states to deepen trade ties.
“We need to better align our development strategies and promote the high-quality implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative,” he said.
He called for leveraging the “mega-sized markets and economic complementarity” within the SCO to expand trade and investment, and pursue “mutual benefit and win-win results.”
Security agenda: drugs, terror, and new centers
On the security front, Xi urged members to operationalise the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Threats and Challenges and the SCO Anti-drug Center without delay.
He stressed the need for “real results and high efficiency” in the grouping’s work, warning against empty declarations.
Context
Xi’s remarks came as China navigates a tense standoff with the United States. Despite a partial deal, trade hostilities with Washington remain unresolved.
The tension has widened to include India and Russia, with US President Donald Trump recently imposing 50 percent tariffs on Indian oil imports from Russia. Trump has also tried to push Moscow toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, meeting both Vladimir Putin in Alaska and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington.
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