China’s President Xi Jinping welcomed a host of global leaders to the northern port city of Tianjin on Sunday, September 1, 2025, setting the stage for a high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that underscores Beijing’s growing role in reshaping international alliances.
The summit, which brings together heads of state and senior officials from across Asia, Europe, and beyond, comes at a time of heightened geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. Against this backdrop, Xi used his meetings with visiting leaders to project Beijing’s commitment to strengthening multilateralism and building closer ties with countries outside Washington’s orbit.
Xi Meets SCO Dialogue Partners
At the Tianjin Guest House, President Xi held bilateral talks with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizz, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. All three nations are classified as “dialogue partners” of the SCO, which currently includes 14 such countries.
During the discussions, Xi emphasized that China was committed to “consolidating strategic trust and expanding cooperation” with each partner nation. He described the SCO as a “platform of shared security, mutual respect, and collective development” that gives smaller nations an alternative to Western-dominated institutions.
President Mohamed Muizz of the Maldives, who has sought closer engagement with Beijing since taking office in 2023, hailed the SCO as a “valuable platform” for amplifying the voices of smaller states. Similarly, Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s interest in strengthening energy and transport links with China, while Pashinyan reiterated Armenia’s desire to balance its relations between Russia, the West, and Beijing.
A Growing Global Bloc
The SCO, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, has steadily expanded its influence over the past two decades. Today, its full members include India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, and Uzbekistan, with dialogue partners stretching from Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe.
Analysts describe the organization as one of the few platforms where Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi share a common table, despite underlying rivalries. With members spanning nearly half of the world’s population and commanding vast reserves of natural resources, the SCO is increasingly seen as a counterweight to Western-led alliances such as NATO and the G7.
Sunday’s arrivals in Tianjin included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of whom will play pivotal roles in shaping the summit’s agenda. Their presence, alongside Xi’s leadership, highlights the SCO’s importance as a geopolitical forum at a time of shifting global power balances.
US-China Rivalry Looms in the Background
The timing of the summit is significant. It comes just as Washington and Beijing are locked in escalating disputes over trade, technology, military maneuvers in the South China Sea, and diplomatic influence in Asia and Africa.
The SCO, long dismissed in some Western capitals as a symbolic grouping, has taken on added weight as China and Russia deepen their strategic coordination. With US sanctions targeting Moscow over its war in Ukraine and with Washington rallying alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter Beijing, the Tianjin summit sends a clear message: China and its partners are building alternative centers of power.
Experts argue that Xi will use the gathering to showcase China’s leadership in shaping a “multipolar world order” — one not dominated by Washington. “This summit is not just about security cooperation. It is about China presenting itself as the anchor of global stability at a time when the US is seen as divisive and interventionist,” said Dr. Wang Jian, a Beijing-based international relations scholar.
Military Symbolism and Historical Memory
The summit also precedes a massive military parade scheduled for later this week to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. For China, the anniversary holds deep symbolic significance, commemorating the nation’s victory over Japanese occupation and reinforcing narratives of resilience against foreign aggression.
Xi is expected to link the themes of historical sacrifice and present-day sovereignty in his keynote address at the parade. The military display, featuring some of China’s most advanced weaponry, will also serve as a reminder of the country’s growing defense capabilities amid its disputes with the US and its allies.
Balancing Rival Interests
While the SCO has grown in stature, it also faces challenges. The presence of both India and Pakistan — long-time rivals — has complicated consensus within the bloc. Similarly, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, both SCO dialogue partners, continue to simmer despite diplomatic overtures.
Observers will be watching closely to see how China navigates these rivalries to present a unified message of cooperation. Xi, in his remarks on Sunday, insisted that the SCO must remain a forum of “dialogue over confrontation” and of “bridges over barriers.” His words reflect Beijing’s desire to keep the focus on collective interests, even as individual disputes threaten unity.
A Strategic Showcase for China
For Beijing, hosting the summit in Tianjin is as much about substance as symbolism. The port city has been a showcase of China’s economic modernization and international connectivity, home to one of the busiest ports in the world. By choosing Tianjin over Beijing as the summit venue, Xi signals a desire to highlight China’s regional hubs and their role in global commerce.
The event also allows China to demonstrate its diplomatic clout at a time when US influence in Asia is being tested. “Every handshake Xi shares this week is also a message to Washington — that China has partners, options, and global relevance,” said a diplomat from Central Asia who requested anonymity.
Looking Ahead
As the SCO summit gets underway, the world’s attention will focus on whether the bloc can move beyond symbolism to concrete policy coordination. Issues likely to dominate discussions include counterterrorism cooperation, trade facilitation, digital infrastructure, and strategies for mitigating the global food and energy crisis.
For African observers, the summit carries implications as well. Several African countries, including Egypt and South Africa, have expressed interest in closer cooperation with the SCO, viewing it as a potential avenue for investment and political support outside Western-dominated institutions.
As President Xi Jinping welcomes world leaders in Tianjin, the stakes are high. With US-China tensions casting a long shadow over global affairs, the SCO summit will be watched closely not just for its declarations but for the subtle signals it sends about the emerging world order.
What remains clear is that the Tianjin gathering is more than a diplomatic routine — it is a statement about power, alliances, and the shifting balance in 21st-century geopolitics.
