China rolls out red carpet as Xi hosts 20+ leaders at SCO

China is preparing to host the largest Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in its history, with more than 20 heads of state set to gather in Tianjin from 31 August to 1 September.

President Xi Jinping will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in what Beijing is billing as a show of Global South solidarity.

The SCO, launched in 2001 by China, Russia and four Central Asian states, has nearly doubled in membership and now presents itself as a counterweight to Western-led alliances. The summit is expected to produce the 'Tianjin Declaration,' addressing counterterrorism, renewable energy, and digital cooperation, while also advancing discussions on a long-proposed SCO Development Bank.

For Modi, the trip marks his first visit to China in seven years, underscoring cautious re-engagement despite lingering border tensions. For Putin, it offers another chance to strengthen trilateral ties with Beijing and New Delhi, presenting Russia as anything but isolated.

With optics, symbolism, and strategic messaging at its heart, the Tianjin summit could reshape how the SCO is perceived—either as a genuine platform for multipolar leadership or primarily as a diplomatic stage for China and Russia.

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SCO Summit newshour China Russia Tianjin United Nations Iran Beijing