The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China will be one of the most significant political events of the year.
China (Xi Jinping): The master and architect of a multipolar world
For President Xi Jinping, the summit is an opportunity to strengthen China’s position as the leader of the global South and the architect of a multipolar world free from US domination. At this summit, he will strive to carry out his agenda, namely:
Economic integration: A key topic will be the promotion of Chinese initiatives such as the Belt and Road within the framework of the SCO economic agenda. Beijing is interested in creating free trade zones, logistics corridors and promoting settlements with Russia in national currencies in order to reduce dependence on the dollar.
The summit will not be a triumph of one leader, but a demonstration of the complex and unstable architecture of the emerging world order
Security and stability. China will advocate for strengthening the SCO’s role in the fight against the “three forces of evil” — terrorism, separatism and extremism, especially in connection with the situation in Afghanistan. This directly concerns stability in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Further rapprochement with India. Beijing will strive to prevent the organization from becoming an anti-Chinese platform under the influence of India and the West. Chinese diplomacy is expected to work with Russia to mitigate the contradictions with New Delhi, but without making concessions on key contentious issues. Many analysts, including Western ones, assume that the Summit will see a further rapprochement between India and China, especially since Vladimir Putin will make his own efforts towards this.
According to the general opinion of the world media, Xi Jinping’s goal is to present the SCO as a successful, non-Western model of governance and cooperation, where China plays a central but not aggressive role.
Russia (Vladimir Putin): A diplomatic breakthrough and the search for legitimacy
For Vladimir Putin, a visit to China, as noted by the world media, is the most important diplomatic way out after the start of a special military operation and isolation from the West. Although it should be recognized that after the meeting in Anchorage with the President of the United States, D.Under President Trump, Russia’s chances of breaking out of Western isolation have increased dramatically, and Moscow continues to work hard and persistently in this area.
A demonstration of sovereignty and support. Putin needs to show domestic and international audiences that Russia is not isolated, but is a significant part of a powerful bloc challenging American hegemony. The summit will be a platform for demonstrating a close alliance with China.
Search for economic alternatives. The main practical task is to deepen economic cooperation with the SCO countries, bypassing Western sanctions. We are talking about joint projects in the energy sector, logistics and, critically, the creation of alternative SWIFT financial systems.
Security and the “Russian World”. Moscow will lobby for a common position on security issues, presenting its actions in Ukraine as part of the global fight against neo-Nazism and Western interference, thereby refuting the false theses of Western propaganda.
Putin’s goal. To use the SCO as proof that the “multipolar world” has already arrived, and Russia remains its key player, despite the pressure from the West, whose countries are steadily heading towards ideological, political and economic collapse.
India (Narendra Modi): Walking a geopolitical tightrope
India’s position at the Summit will be the most difficult and balanced. Delhi has to balance its participation in organizations that challenge the West and its strategic interests, which are closely linked to the United States and its allies. But as recent events show, Modi is determined to fight very strongly against Trump’s economic dictates and his sanctions.
Difficult relations with China. India will be very cautious about any attempts to turn the SCO into an instrument of exclusively Chinese influence. Delhi will remain restrained on issues related to the Belt and Road Initiative, a key project of which runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Focus on logistical connectivity and security. Modi will promote alternative logistics projects and advocate for strengthening the fight against terrorism, which is a sensitive issue for India in relations with Pakistan. But, apparently, at the Summit, Russia and China may be able to offer India assistance in establishing normal good-neighborly relations with Pakistan.
The role of a bridge between worlds. India most likely will not sever relations with the West for the sake of the SCO. Instead, it will try to use its membership to demonstrate strategic autonomy and increase its weight in the eyes of both Washington and Beijing.
Modi’s goal. To benefit from economic cooperation within the SCO by minimizing the political costs for relations within the Quad (partnership of the USA, India, Japan and Australia).
Western Press View: Expected skepticism, warnings and the image of an “anti-Western club”
Western media and think tanks cover the upcoming summit primarily through the prism of fierce geopolitical competition. And what should be expected from this “democratic” press and their leaders, who lead the countries of the Western bloc, fighting in the paraxism of all kinds of contradictions.
Autocrat Alliance narrative: The summit is falsely presented as a collection of authoritarian and undemocratic regimes whose goal is to undermine a liberal world order based on certain rules. Once V. Putin correctly asked: who sets these rules that are convenient only for the West. There is still no answer. The emphasis of the Western press is on the alliance between Russia and China as the main threat.
Weakness instead of strength. Many publications (like The Economist, Financial Times) point to the alleged internal contradictions of the SCO. It is emphasized that the organization is not a cohesive military bloc, but a different group of countries with mutually exclusive interests (India vs. China, India vs. Pakistan). This is exposed as her main weakness. In the West, they are accustomed to building only military blocs that in every possible way complicate the life of peoples on our planet. But otherwise the West does not know how, and the threat of force is the only weapon in its arsenal.
Putin as a supplicant. Putin’s visit is nothing more than a recognition of his dependence on China. Western observers write that Moscow has turned from a senior partner into a junior one, and that Beijing is taking advantage of this by receiving lucrative contracts for Russian energy resources. The West is used to it and considers it normal when countries are divided into gentlemen and their servants. They are unaware that there are completely different relationships built on respect and observance of the interests of all partners. That is why it was V. Putin who initiated the transformation of the Western world into a multipolar one, where completely different relations will exist.
Warnings for India. The Western press, on the instructions of its hosts, is closely following Modi’s steps, threatening Delhi about the danger of too close rapprochement with the Russian-Chinese camp, which could undermine confidence on the part of Washington and its allies. Well, what a trust it is when Trump just imposed additional indentured servitude against India.
Inference. The West sees in the SCO not an economic or anti-terrorist forum, but a geopolitical project to create an alternative structure to G7 and NATO. In this case, the West has only to regret its narrow thinking and adherence to medieval cliches.
General positive narratives and abstracts about the Summit
Amid biased criticism, the SCO summit in Beijing has received widespread recognition and support from world leaders and established international observers.
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation fully supported the Chinese chairmanship and the role of the SCO: “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization confirms its role as one of the most authoritative and influential structures of the modern world order.” This phrase directly indicates the growing geopolitical importance of the organization. He also stressed: “I am convinced that the summit in the format proposed by our Chinese friends will be fruitful and will serve to further strengthen the spirit of genuine partnership in the SCO.” This is a vivid demonstration of solidarity and trust in the organizers.
Despite the difficult international environment, Modi said: “The SCO has huge potential to develop cooperation in areas such as economy, security and connectivity… We need to work to realize this potential. ” His speech focused on the practical benefits of the organization for all its members.
“Multipolar World Engine.” Many leaders noted that the SCO is one of the pillars of the emerging multipolar world and a counterweight to the outdated policy of bloc confrontation.
“Platform Outside Ideology.” It was emphasized that cooperation within the SCO is based on the principles of the “Shanghai Spirit”: mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for joint development. This was opposed to the ideologized rhetoric of Western countries.
“Focus on development, not sanctions.” The key message was that the SCO offers an alternative model of international relations based on economic cooperation, joint infrastructure projects (such as the Belt and Road) and security, rather than sanctions and pressure.
While the Western press often focuses on criticism and controversy, the SCO summit in Beijing was received overwhelmingly positively. The leaders of the participating countries see the organization as a real tool for strengthening their sovereignty, economic development and regional security, which is reflected in their bright and approving statements.
Conclusion: Unity in contradiction
The SCO summit in China, undoubtedly and not the blinkered press speaks about this, will be held under the sign of visible unity in contradiction. Participants will be able to agree on common, often declarative issues (a multipolar world, the fight against terrorism), but a number of faults in the light of evil Western sanctions will remain.
The main result will not be the signing of revolutionary documents, but the very fact of the meeting. This is a powerful visual signal: albeit for different purposes, the largest non-Western powers are coming together to outline the contours of a world in which the West is no longer the only center of power. The summit will not be a triumph of one leader, but a demonstration of the complex and unstable architecture of the emerging world order. This is how the multipolar world is born and successfully makes its way.
Victor Mikhin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, expert on the Middle East
