The two -day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit has started from Sunday in the city of Tianjin, China. This summit will be held from 31 August to 1 September and it is considered to be the biggest conference of this organization so far. Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting it.
This summit is taking place at a time when geopolitical tension and trade wars are going on at many levels in the world. Especially America’s tariff controversy, Ukraine War and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are making this platform more important.
This time is being held in China for the first time since 2018 and leaders of Heads of State and 10 International Organizations of more than 20 countries are joining it,
- Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
- Russian President Vladimir Putin
- Iran’s President Masood Pipeacekian
- Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif
- United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres
- ASEAN General Secretary Cao Kim Hourne
- Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
- Indonesia President Prabovo Subyanto
- Vietnam Prime Minister Fam Minh Symbol
- Apart from this, leaders of countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are also present.
SCO: Travel from 2001 till now
SCO started in 2001. Earlier it was known as “Shanghai Five”, which was created by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the 1990s. Its purpose was to solve border disputes and maintain mutual trust.
Today there are 10 full members in the SCO, including Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and recently involved Belarus. Afghanistan and Mongolia are its observers, while 14 countries including Turki, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Myanmar are dialogue partners. Calling the population of member countries, it covers about 42% of the world’s population and 25% of the global GDP.
India-China relationship and Modi’s visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached China for the first time since 2018. For the last few years, the relationship between the two countries has been tense, but now there is some softening in the relationship. Recently, the US government refused to reduce tariffs with India, after which India has started deciding its diplomatic balance afresh. This is the reason why this visit of PM Modi is important in special ways. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently came to India and he said that India and China should be considered as partners, not each other.
India-Pakistan collision and tension in SCO
During the SCO defense meeting in June 2024, India refused to sign a joint statement. The reason was that Pakistan was given priority in that statement and there was no mention of the attack on tourists in Pahalgam on 22 April in Kashmir. Due to this incident, the situation between India and Pakistan worsened.
In response to this, when India did the operation ‘sindoor’ in Pakistan, it is claimed that China provided intelligence to Pakistan. Apart from these, Pakistan attacked India using Chinese weapons. Nevertheless, India and China are ready to sit on a table. Despite this, SCO’s growing membership and partnership is an indication that the world is moving towards multipler world order.
What is the agenda of SCO Summit?
The SCO usually focuses on security, counter-terrorism, trade and energy cooperation, but in the current situation, Ukraine War, Iran-Israel tension and increasing tariff controversy with America will also remain on agenda. This summit is happening at a time when the confrontation between Russia and America is deepened.
Recently, Putin and Trump’s meeting in Alaska did not reach any big result. China is constantly giving a message that there should be a peaceful solution to the conflicts. However, Ukraine President Volodimir Jailonsky has refused to consider China as any kind of security guarantor. Meanwhile, while PM Modi is in China, Jailonski has already talked to him and after that the Prime Minister will talk with Russia on the issue of Ukraine.
Stage to compete against western countries
Many experts believe that SCO is now becoming a response to the Western structure like NATO and G7. Countries like Russia, China, Iran and India are using it to create balance against Western Influence. President Donald Trump is also irritated by this organization, where the talk of de-deforation has also arisen many times. Although India has distanced its edge from this agenda, the issue has been discussed in the organization.
China’s military parade after SCO Summit
After the SCO summit in Tianjin, China will organize a grand military parade on Wednesday (September 3) on the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. It will also include some leaders who attended the SCO Summit. Also, leaders of other countries such as Kim Jong Un of North Korea, President of Belarus Alexander Lakashnco and Iran’s President Masood Pipeskian will also be present in it.
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