On September 1, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was founded in 2001 at the initiative of Russia on the basis of the "Shanghai Five": China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan plus Uzbekistan, ended. Later, India and Pakistan (2017), Iran (2023), Belarus (2024) joined. Turkey has been an observer state since 2021. China has gradually taken over leadership from the Russian Federation: institutionally - with the placement of the secretariat in Beijing, politically and financially - after 2022, when Russia weakened due to sanctions and isolation. In return, China is promoting the creation of an SCO development bank and a broad economic agenda.
The main goals of the SCO are: strengthening security, economic and cultural cooperation, and combating terrorism and extremism. The theme of this year's summit was: "Preserving the Spirit of Shanghai: SCO in Action." The SCO summit, attended by more than 20 leaders, was held in the Chinese city of Tianjin and resulted in a final declaration.
The final declaration of the Summit does not mention the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, which shows on the one hand the Global South’s detachment from the problem, and on the other the Kremlin’s failure to formulate its own vision of the war. The SCO Summit demonstrated a strategic shift towards creating an alternative world system. This is an initiative to move away from Western dominance, focusing on a multipolar world order in which China, Russia and other countries contribute a common alternative to the United States.
The creation of tools for a bypass financial system is also declared: discussion of a new SCO development bank, the launch of a platform for energy cooperation, as well as financing in the field of AI and satellite technologies that go beyond the dominance of the dollar. Opposition to "Western bullying" and the promotion of true multilateralism are declared. Xi calls for support for the UN as the main global forum. The presence of Putin and Modi emphasizes the desire to create a powerful counterweight to the US, acting in the format of coordination of authoritarian countries and counteraction to existing Western structures.
The SCO summit laid the foundation for weakening American dominance through the creation of alternative financial structures, the development of technological cooperation without the participation of the United States, and the formation of a new multipolar order. This is a challenge for the United States both in the security sphere and in global hegemony. At the same time, the PRC confidently demonstrates that it is the leader of an authoritarian alliance that questions the existing global order and offers its own alternative, which may become attractive to a significant part of the world, which will reduce the influence of the United States.
In monetary terms, a decrease in dependence on the dollar and Western financial instruments is expected. According to the results of the summit, the newly established AI center and research initiatives will form an alternative technological ecosystem. Strengthening the anti-Western alliance may weaken the United States in the UN and world organizations. The expectation that a tough sanctions policy would tie India to the Western world did not justify itself; on the contrary, a situational alliance between India and the PRC took place, which requires attention and Washington to develop a new strategy for India, which has deep contradictions with the PRC and therefore this alliance may not be long-lasting.
US actions aimed at separating Russia from China by offering broad economic cooperation were not effective, Moscow is forming close relations with Beijing, which increases the potential of both countries and allows them to challenge the US. Russian President Putin's active participation in the SCO summit shows that tough approaches are needed towards Russia as an aggressor, as well as a country that, in cooperation with China, is building a new world order directed against the US. In his speech at the summit, the Russian leader repeated the theses he had expressed earlier. According to Putin, Russia's position "is that the security of one country cannot be guaranteed to the detriment of the security of another."
At the same time, the Russian president did not even understand that it was the Russian Federation that was demanding some kind of security guarantees for itself at the expense of Ukraine's security. He stated that Moscow "highly appreciates the efforts" of China, India and other "partners" who are called upon to help resolve the war in Ukraine. And he called the recent Russian-American meeting in Alaska one that opens the way to peace in Ukraine, without mentioning that it was obviously on Moscow's terms. Putin once again repeated the narratives about the need to eliminate the "root causes" of the war, while not realizing that he himself is the main root cause. The Kremlin head discussed the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Both Modi and Erdogan spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before heading to China for the summit. “India and Russia support each other even in difficult times and stand shoulder to shoulder. Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for international peace, stability and prosperity,” said Modi, who also said he welcomed recent steps to resolve the war in Ukraine.
"We hope that all parties will act constructively. We need to find a way to end the conflict as soon as possible and achieve a lasting peace," the Indian prime minister said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for peace in Ukraine, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. "The time has come for a ceasefire in Ukraine that will lead to a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace - in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions," Guterres stressed.
Speaking at the summit, the UN Secretary-General also noted that the world needs joint action to overcome challenges such as climate change, digital security and uneven development. On September 2, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks in Beijing. The Kremlin leader thanked Xi for the warm welcome and said that relations between Moscow and Beijing are at an "unprecedentedly high level."
He also recalled the Soviet-Chinese "brotherhood in arms" during World War II, emphasizing the trust and mutual support between the two countries. In turn, Xi Jinping called Putin an "old friend" and said that China is ready to work with Russia for development, upholding international justice and creating a "fair and reasonable system of global governance."
During the talks, the leaders made no direct statements about the war in Ukraine, although the meeting is seen as a demonstration of solidarity between Moscow and Beijing amid Western pressure. The countries signed a long-desired agreement for Moscow on the construction of a large-scale pipeline to supply natural gas to China via Mongolia. In particular, Russia's Gazprom announced the signing of an agreement on the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline.
This pipeline, which will annually deliver 50 billion cubic meters of gas from western Russia to northern China, could compensate for almost half of the gas exports to Europe that Russia has lost since the start of the war against Ukraine, writes CNN. As reported by the Financial Times, Moscow and Beijing previously could not agree on the construction of the gas pipeline because China demanded to sell raw materials at prices close to domestic Russian prices. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Beijing became interested in the project again after the military conflict between Iran and Israel in 2025.
The agreement provides for a 30-year contract for gas supplies, and the price of supplies will be lower than in Europe. As a result of the SCO summit, the Kremlin was unable to impose its position on the war in Ukraine on China, India and other participating countries. Moscow failed to use the summit to increase diplomatic pressure on Ukraine and its partners.
Kyiv emphasizes that without achieving a just peace, it is impossible to talk about sustainable global development, international security, and equal trade cooperation in any international format. Russia is trying to portray its participation in the summit as Putin's return from international isolation. However, Chinese and Western media indicate that the status of the Russian dictator is much more modest - he remained an "honored guest", while the arrivals of delegations from India and Turkey were truly significant events.