Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday opened the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, welcoming more than 20 world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two-day summit brought together heads of state from the 10 SCO members — China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus — alongside 16 observer and dialogue partner countries.
In his keynote address, Xi criticised what he described as “bullying behaviour” in the global order, urging leaders to “adhere to fairness and justice… oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour.”
“The current international situation is becoming chaotic and intertwined,” Xi said, stressing that the bloc faces mounting security and development challenges.
Often viewed as a counterweight to NATO, the SCO has grown into one of the world’s largest regional alliances. Xi called on members to deepen cooperation under the “Shanghai spirit” — a principle of mutual trust, equality, and shared development — to navigate global turbulence.
Putin and Modi were seen engaging with Xi on the sidelines, underscoring the summit’s role in shaping regional diplomacy amid rising geopolitical tensions.
