Executive Summary

This report analyses the outcomes of the 25^th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), held in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1, 2025.

The summit highlighted the growing relevance of the SCO as a platform for regional stabilisation and strategic coordination amid intensifying global turbulence. The summit offered clear signals of enhanced intra-organisational cooperation and a deliberate pushback against U.S. foreign policy postures in Eurasia.

Key Takeaways

1. The SCO reaffirmed its growing cohesion and strategic depth, with leaders calling for a “more just and balanced international governance framework” in response to U.S.-led global disorder.
2. China, Russia, and other member states used the summit to deepen coordination on security and economics.
3. The Tianjin Declaration positioned the SCO as an indispensable actor in the management of Eurasian security, trade, and political dialogue, underscoring the region’s rising centrality in global affairs.

Background Information

The 25t^h SCO summit in Tianjin occurred at a time of increased geostrategic competition. The Ukraine conflict continues to shape Eurasian security calculations. Simultaneously, the U.S.-mediated Armenia–Azerbaijan peace framework has unsettled both Russia and Iran, two states with deep-seated strategic interests in the South Caucasus. These dynamics framed the summit’s deliberations and reinforced the need for a non-Western mechanism of conflict management and integration.

Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has developed from a regional security bloc into a multi-dimensional structure engaging in political, economic, and strategic cooperation. Its current members—China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and more recently Belarus—represent a critical mass of Eurasian geography and demography.

The organisation’s enlargement over the years signals a collective desire among regional powers to forge a strategic counterweight to Western institutions such as NATO and the European Union.

Geopolitical Scenario

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the summit by declaring that the world had entered “a new phase of turbulence,” warning that “shadows of Cold War mentality and bullying have not dissipated.” His speech framed the SCO not only as a regional actor but as a global stabiliser capable of shaping a new model of governance. Xi emphasised the importance of resisting “bloc confrontation” and “external interference,” clear allusions to NATO expansion and U.S. influence operations in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The summit’s venue—Tianjin—symbolised China’s intent to anchor the SCO closer to its vision of “shared development and security.” Attendees included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and other Eurasian leaders. The joint communiqué avoided direct references to Ukraine but highlighted the principle of “sovereignty and territorial integrity,” an implicit rebuke of Western-led military coalitions and sanctions regimes.

Notably, the summit occurred in the wake of the U.S.-brokered deal between Yerevan and Baku, which proposes international guarantees outside the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) or SCO framework. Both Russia and Iran interpret the arrangement as a geopolitical intrusion into a region traditionally within their spheres of influence. Moscow has already complained about the weakening of the CSTO, while Tehran sees the deal as an affront to its border security and regional diplomacy.

In this scenario, the summit reinforced the centrality of Eurasia in the emerging multipolar order. Including new observer states and enhanced dialogue partnerships reflects the organisation’s growing appeal as an alternative platform for global governance, particularly among Global South actors disillusioned with Western-dominated forums.

China and Russia used the summit to accelerate bilateral and multilateral coordination. Economic initiatives, such as the expansion of the China–Central Asia economic corridor and the Eurasian Economic Union’s engagement with SCO frameworks, featured prominently. Security cooperation also intensified, with pledges to increase joint counterterrorism exercises and border coordination mechanisms, particularly in response to instability risks emanating from Afghanistan.

India maintained a cautious stance, aligning with multilateral principles while resisting full strategic alignment with Beijing or Moscow. Modi’s attendance and joint declarations indicate New Delhi’s recognition of the SCO’s growing strategic utility in balancing U.S. and Chinese influence.

Indicators to Monitor

• Implementation of economic connectivity agreements signed during the summit, particularly involving China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Central Asian infrastructure.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation members’ posture and statement regarding the U.S. presence and strategy in the South Caucasus.
• India’s level of participation in upcoming SCO military or counterterrorism exercises, which may reveal its strategic intentions vis-à-vis China and Russia.
• Iran’s integration trajectory within SCO frameworks, particularly in energy cooperation, transit logistics, and security dialogues.
• Reaction from Western institutions (e.g., NATO, EU, G7) regarding the SCO’s increasing assertiveness in international governance debates.

Conclusion

The 25^th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin marked a turning point in the consolidation of a non-Western bloc capable of influencing global strategic trajectories.

Despite significant global instability, including the conflict in Ukraine and increased U.S. influence in the Caucasus, the SCO showed its strength, geopolitical stability, and increasing strategic unity among its key members.

While internal contradictions remain, particularly between India and China, the summit established the SCO as a critical node in the emerging multipolar order.

*Cover image: 2025 SCO Summit – Tianjin Meijiang International Convention and Exhibition Center (Credits: President.az, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)