Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to “forge ahead with solid steps for a better future” as leaders of the Eurasian bloc gathered for what has become its largest and most consequential summit since the body’s creation more than two decades ago.
Addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in China’s bustling port city of Tianjin, Xi called for member nations to hold firmly to the “Shanghai Spirit” — the organization’s founding ethos of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development. Against the backdrop of global instability, he positioned the SCO as a stabilizing force and a vehicle for building a fairer, multipolar world order.
“The SCO must stay true to its founding mission,” Xi declared, “and promote its sound and sustained development with greater resolve and more practical measures. Together, we must ensure that our solidarity becomes our strength, and our cooperation becomes our collective advantage.”
Founded in June 2001 in Shanghai by six original members — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — the SCO has since evolved from a regional security pact into a vast economic and geopolitical bloc. With the admission of India and Pakistan in 2017, and Iran in 2023, the group now counts 10 full members. Beyond these, two observer states and 14 dialogue partners stretch the SCO’s footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, making it a 26-nation network with a combined population exceeding 3.5 billion people and a total economic output of nearly $30 trillion.
Its portfolio has expanded dramatically over the years. Originally designed to resolve border disputes and counter extremist threats in Central Asia, the SCO now engages in cooperation across more than 50 sectors, including energy, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, digital economy, and cultural exchanges.
“Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day,” Xi said, hailing what he called “groundbreaking and historic achievements.”
Xi reminded leaders of the SCO’s pioneering role in forging regional cooperation mechanisms. It was the first to set up a military confidence-building framework along sensitive borders, the first to launch Belt and Road-related cooperation initiatives, and the first to conclude a treaty on long-term good-neighborliness and friendship.
“We were the first to proclaim our commitment to refraining from hostilities,” Xi said, noting that the SCO’s approach to regional peace has become a model of “true multilateralism” in an era when unilateralism and protectionism still persist.
The summit also highlighted the organization’s security agenda. Xi called for accelerating the operationalization of the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Threats and Challenges, as well as the SCO Anti-drug Center. These institutions, he argued, will give member states new tools to combat terrorism, separatism, cybercrime, and transnational narcotics networks.
“Security is the cornerstone of development,” Xi said. “Only when we ensure stability can our cooperation in other areas flourish.
Xi positioned the SCO not only as a regional forum but as a contributor to reshaping the rules of global governance. He called on members to champion “an equal and orderly multipolar world” and “a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.”
In Xi’s words, the SCO should “make the global governance system more just and equitable,” pushing back against systems that concentrate power in the hands of a few and marginalize emerging economies. This, he suggested, is the path toward what China has long described as a “community with a shared future for mankind.”
The economic agenda took center stage in Xi’s speech, as he urged members to harness the complementarities of their “mega-sized markets.” Together, SCO nations comprise some of the world’s most resource-rich territories, fastest-growing consumer markets, and hubs of technological potential.
Xi proposed deeper cooperation in energy security, infrastructure connectivity, and cross-border investment. He emphasized emerging fields such as green industry, digital economy, scientific innovation, and artificial intelligence as new frontiers for collective growth.
“By pooling our strengths, we can create new engines of development that benefit all,” Xi said.
He also called for establishing an SCO development bank “as soon as possible,” framing it as an essential institution to fund regional projects and support trade facilitation. If realized, such a bank would complement China’s existing Belt and Road Initiative financial architecture, alongside the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund.
Backing words with commitments, Xi announced several new Chinese initiatives aimed at shoring up SCO solidarity.
- A 2 billion yuan ($281 million) grant to SCO member states within this year.
- An additional 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in loans to member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years.
- Implementation of 100 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects tailored to local needs across member countries.
- Establishment of 10 Luban Workshops — vocational training hubs — in SCO nations within five years, alongside 10,000 human resources training opportunities.
Xi also highlighted China’s existing economic footprint in the bloc: more than $84 billion in cumulative investments and over $500 billion in annual bilateral trade with fellow SCO members.
“China always aligns its development with that of the SCO and with the aspirations of the people of member states for a better life,” Xi said.
While Xi’s speech underscored unity, the SCO’s expanding diversity also presents challenges. The bloc’s members range from nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, to hydrocarbon-rich Kazakhstan and Iran, to developing economies like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Balancing their often conflicting priorities is no small feat.
Beijing has consistently promoted the SCO as a platform where differences can be managed without confrontation. “SCO member states are all friends and partners,” Xi emphasized. “We must respect our differences, maintain strategic communication, build up consensus, and strengthen solidarity and collaboration.”
Still, observers note that the group has at times struggled to take collective positions on issues like the war in Ukraine, the Taliban-led Afghanistan, or maritime disputes in Asia. The SCO prides itself on consensus-based decision-making, but this often slows down the pace of action.
Despite internal complexities, the SCO’s significance in global geopolitics is undeniable. With the West increasingly polarized over issues of security and trade, and with the BRICS grouping gaining prominence, the SCO represents another pole of influence that tilts the balance toward multipolarity.
The Tianjin summit reinforced this impression. With its scale and ambition, the gathering symbolized a maturation of the SCO into a full-fledged institution capable of shaping regional trajectories — from security cooperation to financial systems, from infrastructure corridors to climate initiatives.
For China, the SCO is both a strategic shield and a bridge. It provides Beijing with a forum to counterbalance Western alliances like NATO while fostering deep economic and political linkages with neighbors stretching from Eastern Europe to South Asia.
Xi’s call to action at Tianjin left little ambiguity about China’s vision for the SCO: an organization that is not merely a talk shop, but a platform for practical, outcome-driven collaboration.
To this end, the Tianjin summit agenda included discussions on establishing a roadmap for digital connectivity, joint energy projects, new frameworks for cross-border e-commerce, and the rollout of educational and cultural exchanges. Member states also reaffirmed their commitment to joint military exercises and intelligence-sharing mechanisms.
Analysts say the coming years will test whether the SCO can convert its breadth of ambition into tangible results. Much will depend on whether its members, particularly the larger powers — China, Russia, and India — can overcome strategic rivalries and focus on shared interests.
The 25th SCO summit in Tianjin marked more than an anniversary; it was a signal of intent. The organization that began as a modest forum for border security has grown into a transcontinental bloc with the potential to influence global governance, security architecture, and economic integration.
