After successfully completing his visit to Japan, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is set to visit Tianjin in China for the 25th SCO summit. The Prime Minister is in China after 7 years and met his Chinese counterpart before the meeting. This year’s meeting will be SCO’s largest gathering to date, with 20 leaders attending. The Prime Minister of Nepal, K P Sharma Oli, the Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, are among the attendees this year. The meeting shows the importance of Asian powers in the backdrop of the US’s tariff war.
SCO is a political and security group, with its members making up to 80 per cent of the global landmass and contributing 40 per cent of the total population. It was originally formed by five countries in 1996, including Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. It was formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union to solve the border issues in the region. Ever since the dawn of the new century, it has expanded with both India and Pakistan joining in 2017. Iran joined in 2023, followed by Belarus in 2024.
SCO is different from the Western model of organisations as it champions a multipolar world, unlike Western countries that began organisations like the United Nations, focused on a ‘rule-based order’.
Both China and India are facing the heat of Trump’s tariffs, and both countries are looking forward to solving bilateral issues and collaborating. The leaders of both nations met on the sidelines of the summit and discussed ways to sustain long-term growth. India-China collaborations have been increasing since last year, when both leaders met at Kazan.
The meeting is also seen as critical due to the ongoing tariff war. The President of the US was earlier seen slamming BRICS leaders during the summit in Brazil, and while Putin, Modi and Xi meet to strengthen ties, the United States is closely watching the situation.
