KARACHI, Pakistan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and the "SCO Plus" meeting on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 in China’s port city of Tianjin is being held amid rising geopolitical tensions including Israeli war on Gaza, Ukraine crisis as well as tariffs tensions.

The summit comes amid the second year of genocide in Gaza, more than a thousand days of the Russian war on Ukraine, which started in February 2022, and escalating tariff disputes between Washington and Beijing.

As rotating chair, Chinese President Xi Jinping is presiding over the two-day huddle, the fifth annual SCO summit hosted by China since the forum was established in 2001.

Leaders in attendance

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are among the key leaders attending.

Other participants include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev are also attending, along with other international organization heads.

SCO’s evolution

The SCO traces its roots to the “Shanghai Five” mechanism — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — before Uzbekistan joined as the sixth member. Today, the organization includes 10 member states, two observers, and 14 dialogue partners across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

It covers about 24% of the world’s land area and 42% of the global population. Member states account for roughly one quarter of global GDP, with total trade increasing nearly 100-fold in the past two decades. Their share of world trade rose from 5.4% in 2001 to 17.5% in 2020.

Agenda and expected outcomes

With the theme “SCO Year of Sustainable Development,” the Tianjin summit is the largest in the organization’s history. Leaders are expected to sign the Tianjin Declaration and approve a 10-year strategy, alongside outcome documents on security, trade, energy, and cultural cooperation.

The summit will also issue statements marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the UN.

Xi will hold separate talks with several leaders, including Putin and Erdogan, on the sidelines. Following the summit, the Chinese leader will also host Putin and Kim at a large-scale military parade on Sept. 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Analysts say the summit is being viewed as a major show of Global South solidarity during Donald Trump’s second US presidency, particularly after his administration imposed “reciprocal” tariffs on China and India.

For Iran, the gathering offers a platform to rally support against new “snapback” sanctions on its nuclear program imposed by the UK, Germany, and France. China and Russia have already opposed the move.

The summit also marks Modi’s first visit to China in more than seven years, amid lingering tensions following 2020 border clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir. It could also be his first encounter with Sharif after a four-day armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May.

China’s trade with SCO members, observers, and dialogue partners reached a record $890B in 2024, or 14.4% of its total foreign trade.

Beijing has pledged 1,000 training opportunities in digital technology over the next three years and invited partners to join its BeiDou navigation system and International Lunar Research Station project.

The previous SCO leaders’ summit was held in Astana, Kazakhstan in July 2024, where 25 strategic documents were adopted covering energy, security, finance, and information security.