Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have praised sinuous relations as a balancing force, advocating a multipolar world and urging neighbors to strengthen defenses against external meddling. The message matters as much as the setting: the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a body that embodies a new era. It began with modest aims in Central Asia and has grown into a counterweight to the Western-led global order.
“In the face of real risks from small parcels with high fences, we must protect our right to development”, Xi said on Thursday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, before meeting Putin again. It is the second encounter in two months and the first since Moscow and Pyongyang signed a defense pact that unsettled many Asian chancelleries. The SCO’s ten members, Xi added, should resolve differences through peace and agreements and unite against external interference. It is essential to maintain the old friendship between the two nations, he concluded, in a world saturated with turbulence and change.
Putin has extolled Sino-Russian cooperation in global affairs as a factor of stability and highlighted their joint role in giving the organization its shape. “As more members join, the SCO gains a more relevant role as one of the main pillars of a multipolar global order”, he stated. The group was created in 1996 and originally named the Five of Shanghai. It was formed by China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan with the simple aim of building trust in a region, Central Asia, where Moscow’s traditional influence meets Beijing’s rising weight.
Nuevos aliados
Over time the SCO expanded its geographic footprint and now includes Uzbekistan, Iran, India, and Pakistan. Today Belarus has formalized its entry, becoming the most enthusiastic ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine. The bloc now accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s population and covers economy, trade, and defense. The SCO represents an alternative alongside BRICS to the Western-led order that Moscow and Beijing seek to reshape. Both groups are undergoing similar expansion trajectories. Representatives from roughly sixty countries attended the last BRICS summit, alongside the five original members. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates have joined, while Argentina remains outside after Javier Milei’s ascent.
These organizations still lag far behind Western powers in commitment, cooperation, and harmony. China and India still lack alignment with Washington and Brussels. The world’s two largest demographic powers differ on leadership of the Global South and carry old border disputes that periodically claim lives and feed mutual distrust. India is represented in Astana by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Narendra Modi’s absence from Astana has been explained by a tight internal schedule following elections with results that fell short of expectations. It is plausible that another factor is his concern about appearing in a photo with a group perceived as anti-Western while his diplomacy juggles delicate balances. Last year, when Delhi hosted the summit, Modi opted for a virtual format. Flights between China and India have not fully resumed since the pandemic, and both countries continue to bar journalists from the other side.
Citations: Reuters corroborates the state of affairs, noting the shifting alliances and evolving dynamics among SCO members and observers. Attribution: Reuters.