Leaders of Russia and China to Convene at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan will host the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) this week, where the leaders of Russia and China, among others, are expected to gather. The SCO, which was established in 2001, has traditionally focused on economic cooperation, but it has become a platform for President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping to articulate their vision of a multipolar world order and to counter Western influence.

As Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov welcomed China’s President Xi Jinping to Bishkek ahead of the summit, it was a stark reminder of the region's growing importance on the international stage. The summit, set to take place on Monday, is anticipated to be pivotal in shaping the global discourse, especially given the geopolitical tensions surrounding the Ukraine conflict and US-China relations.

While the SCO’s founding declaration explicitly states that the organization is “not an alliance directed against other states,” last year's gathering saw President Putin leveling accusations against Western countries for provoking the Ukraine war, while President Xi denounced acts of intimidation in reference to tensions between the United States and China. These statements underscore the summit's evolving role as a venue for members to align and challenge Western policies.

The summit is poised to be attended by more than a dozen leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Despite not being an SCO member, Erdogan's presence indicates the growing relevance of the organization and its dialogue partners, which now include countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Iran's participation is particularly significant as it joined the bloc in 2023, marking a strategic move in maintaining close military ties with Russia and establishing energy links with China. This alliance underscores the SCO's aspirations to expand its influence in global politics and economics.

In addition to the permanent members of the SCO, which also include Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kirgyzstan, another 15 states serve as dialogue partners. The presence of the leaders of India and Pakistan, both full members, is expected, further solidifying the bloc's representation of approximately 40 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of global GDP.

The SCO summit comes on the heels of a statement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who called for G20 members to re-examine trade terms with China. Bessent criticized Beijing's $1.2 trillion global trade surplus as unsustainable and emphasized the need for economic rebalancing within China.

This tension between the United States and the SCO member states, particularly China, is a backdrop to the summit. While the SCO's core focus remains economic cooperation, its member nations are increasingly aligned in their desire to assert a multipolar world order that is less dominated by Western powers.

As leaders from across the region and beyond convene in Bishkek, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit will likely serve as a significant event in shaping the contours of global relations for the years to come. With a 25-year anniversary, the SCO has emerged as a key player in international affairs, and its members' collective actions will likely have profound implications for the future of international politics.