https://www.scmp.com/rss/519119/feed The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defence organisation formed in 2001 by China and Russia as a successor to the Shanghai Five, which was formed in 1996 between the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. As well as China and Russia, current members also include Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The organisation also has several dialgoue... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju A cautious reset in India-China relations is taking root, according to analysts, with the two rivals increasingly walling off their border disputes from expanding cooperation on trade, security and multilateral diplomacy. The clearest marker yet came last week in New Delhi, where the two sides held their first-ever bilateral consultations focused exclusively on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Eurasian security bloc that also includes Russia, Iran, Pakistan and four Central Asian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350732/india-and-china-wall-border-rows-focus-trade-and-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350732/india-and-china-wall-border-rows-focus-trade-and-security?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:12:46 +0000 Brian Y. S. Wong Brian Y. S. Wong By the second half of the 21st century, the Sino-Indian relationship will become the world’s most significant geopolitical relationship, dislodging even the complex China-US cooperative rivalry. By 2050, the world’s three largest economies are likely to comprise some combination of China, India and the United States. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts this exact order – with the US having the highest per capita income but the smallest population. Both Asian powerhouses enjoy significant theoretical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346270/boosting-china-india-ties-should-be-pillar-hong-kongs-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346270/boosting-china-india-ties-should-be-pillar-hong-kongs-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Professor Pan Guang has spent decades focused on Jewish studies, the Middle East and its ties with China. Among his many roles, Pan is founding director of a research centre on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. Amid recent events in Iran, how do you assess the impact on China? Will China’s “petroyuan” settlement encounter problems, and what of the risks to the Belt and Road... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3345551/iran-wars-impact-china-limited-mideast-scholar-pan-guang-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3345551/iran-wars-impact-china-limited-mideast-scholar-pan-guang-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:37:36 +0000 Zhao Ziwen,Vanessa Cai Zhao Ziwen,Vanessa Cai As the US considers taking military action over a crackdown on unrest in Iran, there has been no official response from either the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or Brics. Iran is a member of the two Beijing-backed forums for the Global South, and analysts said remaining silent on the situation could be damaging for them. But according to one expert, the Iran crisis could also lead to an expansion of security and strategic cooperation within the two blocs. US President Donald Trump has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339910/could-iran-crisis-push-global-south-blocs-deepen-security-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339910/could-iran-crisis-push-global-south-blocs-deepen-security-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:00:20 +0000 Michael Tai Michael Tai When President Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin earlier this year, the choreography was familiar: smiles, handshakes and talk of a “multipolar world order”. Yet beneath the symbolism lies an imbalance impossible to miss. China radiated the poise of a civilisation sure of its trajectory; Russia exuded the defiance of a power seeking reassurance. The meeting, intended to display Eurasian unity, instead... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334916/while-china-exudes-confidence-russia-held-back-yearning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334916/while-china-exudes-confidence-russia-held-back-yearning?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Peiman Salehi Peiman Salehi For much of the modern era, power was easy to recognise. It belonged to the states that could win wars decisively, enforce sanctions effectively and impose political outcomes far beyond their borders. That definition no longer works. The world is moving towards what scholars have described as a form of “distributed multipolarity”, a landscape in which no single actor – not the United States, not China, not Russia – can fully shape events in the way great powers once expected. Tools once seen as... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335006/welcome-world-where-wars-dont-end-and-sanctions-dont-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335006/welcome-world-where-wars-dont-end-and-sanctions-dont-work?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Zhou Bo is a retired senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army and a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy. His military career included roles in the Ministry of National Defence’s Foreign Affairs Office and as a defence attaché. Zhou is the author of the recent book Should the World Fear China? SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series. This article will be available to regular SCMP subscribers next... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334347/ex-pla-colonel-taiwan-question-ukraine-war-china-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334347/ex-pla-colonel-taiwan-question-ukraine-war-china-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Farwa Aamer Farwa Aamer The year began with promise for US-India relations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington reinforced both countries’ intent to sustain the partnership’s momentum. Their personal rapport, forged during US President Donald Trump’s first term, appeared to offer political capital for a results-driven agenda. India entered 2025 buoyed by a bipartisan consensus in Washington that New Delhi was central to the Indo-Pacific balance. Yet as the year closes, optimism has faded. A... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3332216/how-india-and-us-can-find-their-way-back-better-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3332216/how-india-and-us-can-find-their-way-back-better-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Meng Wenting,Zhang Chi (張馳) Meng Wenting,Zhang Chi (張馳) The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was inaugurated at its headquarters in Wan Chai on Monday, bringing the new China-led mechanism into operation to fill the void in dispute resolution. With 37 signatories, the organisation is attracting Western interest, particularly from Switzerland. The IOMed is just one among several bodies announced by or established in China this year. They include the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Unesco’s International... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330086/china-supporting-multilateralism-one-institution-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330086/china-supporting-multilateralism-one-institution-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Richard Heydarian Richard Heydarian In a fast and furious year of devastating wars and high-stakes diplomacy, the historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands out as a potential harbinger of a new global order. In his first visit to China in seven years, Modi agreed with Xi that Asia’s two powers should be “partners” rather than “rivals”, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. Modi stressed that “their differences should not turn into... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3328544/why-india-hedging-its-bets-another-china-charm-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3328544/why-india-hedging-its-bets-another-china-charm-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong While Kazakhstan is cooperating closely with China on the digitalisation of trade, a government official from the Central Asian country said this week that more infrastructure investment is needed – including along the Middle Corridor trade route – for it to realise its aim of becoming a bridge between Asia and Europe. Exporters turned to the Middle Corridor – which connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey – as an alternative to the northern route of the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328371/kazakh-official-urges-investment-help-country-connect-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328371/kazakh-official-urges-investment-help-country-connect-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:00:15 +0000 Cui Jianchun Cui Jianchun Eighty years ago, the people of the world won a great victory in the war against fascism. In its wake, the United Nations was born, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind”, opening a new chapter in global governance. Today, though the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remain unchanged, a Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism continue to haunt the world. With new... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326404/what-china-seeks-achieve-global-governance-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326404/what-china-seeks-achieve-global-governance-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan China’s recent high-profile diplomatic activity, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and the Victory Day parade in Beijing in the same week, conveyed more than international headlines suggested. Although much of the media spotlight focused on the optics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, I think the real story centres on pragmatic engagement, regional reassurance and the realignment of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325907/focusing-pageantry-west-misses-point-chinas-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325907/focusing-pageantry-west-misses-point-chinas-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao As Washington continues to retreat from its traditional leadership role in the post-war international order, particularly under the “America first” doctrine, Beijing has stepped in with a calculated response to the widening vacuum in global governance, unveiling what observers call a “master plan” for reform. China’s newly unveiled Global Governance Initiative (GGI), launched this month to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, represents its most comprehensive and structured... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325746/us-retreats-can-xi-jinpings-new-initiative-shape-future-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325746/us-retreats-can-xi-jinpings-new-initiative-shape-future-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:00:16 +0000 Abishur Prakash Abishur Prakash Earlier this month, Anthropic, the American artificial intelligence company, entered the US-China fight. It barred companies from using its AI services if they were more than 50 per cent owned by Chinese entities. This was a double punch – China’s access to American technology hit another obstacle, and the global business world was prodded again to reject Chinese investment. Just a few months ago, Anthropic’s move would have knocked the wind out of China. But the recent Shanghai Cooperation... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325174/chinas-moment-rewire-world-arriving-what-will-it-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325174/chinas-moment-rewire-world-arriving-what-will-it-do?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 22:30:08 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai When Beijing company executive Lillian Zhu saw the Tianjin Museum’s exhibition of Kazakhstan artefacts earlier this year, she was captivated by the vibrant culture of Central Asia and was determined to find out more. “It struck me how little I knew about the Silk Road countries beyond China. The fusion of nomadic and settled lifestyles is so intriguing,” she said. Inspired by the display of nearly 200 artefacts from Kazakhstan’s National Museum, Zhu booked a 15-day study tour this summer to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325479/central-asia-draws-chinese-tourists-chinas-belt-and-road-plan-revitalises-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325479/central-asia-draws-chinese-tourists-chinas-belt-and-road-plan-revitalises-region?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 04:00:33 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow In a move analysts see as both a survival strategy and a calculated signal of dissatisfaction with Asean, Laos has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a dialogue partner. The decision was confirmed on September 1 during the SCO summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, where Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith thanked the Eurasian bloc’s 10 member states for their unanimous support. Laos was “ready to participate in the promotion of peace and stability in the region and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325371/laos-embraces-china-russia-led-sco-amid-frustration-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325371/laos-embraces-china-russia-led-sco-amid-frustration-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao Eighty years after World War II ended, the multilateral system is faltering. The United Nations, once the symbol of post-war peace and cooperation, is increasingly sidelined by unilateral actions and trade wars, amid the marginalisation of the Global South in decision-making. We are at risk of a world where tariffs and sanctions replace negotiation, conflicts multiply and the very principles of international law are often ignored. If the international community is to avoid drifting further into... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324936/china-led-sco-critical-salve-ailments-global-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324936/china-led-sco-critical-salve-ailments-global-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Wenran Jiang Wenran Jiang The recent military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory against the Japanese invasion was a stunning display of precision and power. Rows of soldiers moved with robotic synchrony and new weapons systems – hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft and autonomous drones – rolled past Tiananmen Square, signalling China’s arrival as a military peer to the United States. The presence of leaders from across the Global South, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324883/eu-and-china-beijing-parade-was-missed-chance-build-bridges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324883/eu-and-china-beijing-parade-was-missed-chance-build-bridges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The Brics emergency summit at which Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech was convened by Brazil to coordinate resistance to growing pressures from US President Donald Trump’s trade war. It did not turn into a forum for an open clash with the United States, as anticipated by some. But it would be a mistake to discount the importance of such meetings to a growing trading bloc in consolidating long-term resilience. Xi set the tone for the virtual summit, as he did at the recent Shanghai... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324913/brics-looking-resilience-not-open-clash-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324913/brics-looking-resilience-not-open-clash-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Newly published video has offered a rare glimpse into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stay in China last week, after a Russian state media journalist posted the footage to his Telegram channel. Contrary to his tough-guy public image, the Russian leader’s residence in Beijing was decorated with colourful Chinese figurines. Footage posted by Pavel Zarubin on Monday showed dolls dressed in Chinese opera costumes, Chinese dancing lion statues and panda figurines in the style of Russian nesting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324912/peek-behind-hotel-door-shows-china-giving-putin-colourful-welcome-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324912/peek-behind-hotel-door-shows-china-giving-putin-colourful-welcome-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:19:36 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31 may not have resulted in bold... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3324431/china-india-message-tianjin-perpetual-hostility-unsustainable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3324431/china-india-message-tianjin-perpetual-hostility-unsustainable?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 03:30:08 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that concluded in Tianjin on September 1 was a significant diplomatic triumph for President Xi Jinping and Beijing. The forum sought to burnish China’s geopolitical profile as a reliable interlocutor and an alternative voice for stability in global governance. SCO summits tend to be low-key and do not garner much notice. This time, though, China used the opportunity to signal it had arrived at the global high table at a time when US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324348/summit-full-symbolism-china-lays-out-vision-multipolar-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324348/summit-full-symbolism-china-lays-out-vision-multipolar-order?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley This time, it was not America’s Franklin D. Roosevelt, Britain’s Winston Churchill and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin meeting in the Crimean city of Yalta to carve up a defeated Germany and reshape the post-war European order. Instead, it was China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin to consider the implications of a new and non-US-dominated global order. It was a historic occasion... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324344/shanghai-spirit-new-world-order-needs-be-matched-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324344/shanghai-spirit-new-world-order-needs-be-matched-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Robin Hu Robin Hu At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin this week, the choreography was striking. Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled proposals for a development bank, expanded BeiDou satellite services, and cooperation in green technology, artificial intelligence and infrastructure. The message was unmistakable: the SCO is no longer just a security forum. It is evolving into a platform offering... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324312/chinas-multipolar-ambition-making-us-sit-and-fire-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324312/chinas-multipolar-ambition-making-us-sit-and-fire-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 22:30:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that India is drifting towards China’s orbit, even as his assertive tariffs and public rebukes have tested ties with New Delhi. Aides are warning that India could soon regret its stance and even face new curbs. “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together,” the “America first” president wrote on social media. His remarks were posted alongside a photo of Indian Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324576/trump-suggests-india-moving-towards-deepest-darkest-china-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324576/trump-suggests-india-moving-towards-deepest-darkest-china-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 21:26:58 +0000 Lub Bun Chong Lub Bun Chong This year marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II and the founding of the United Nations. Humanity learned with great pain that peace and security must coexist for all nations, and the vicious circle of war must not be repeated. In 1941, the United States imposed an oil embargo on Japan in response to its expansion in Asia and invasion of French Indochina. For the US and its allies, Japan’s militant aggression was a blatant violation of peace; for Japan, the embargo was... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3324197/ukraine-war-must-be-resolved-within-un-halls-not-battlefield?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3324197/ukraine-war-must-be-resolved-within-un-halls-not-battlefield?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou A yuan-based payment system would be crucial to building the multipolar world China has been calling for, according to a Russian billionaire and close associate of President Vladimir Putin. “A multipolar world will depend on how quickly China could develop a payment system, and it depends upon Chinese banks,” Oleg Deripaska, the founder of Russian aluminium giant Rusal, said in Beijing on Wednesday. “Chinese banks are too dependent upon dollar assets, and they are scared to death to take any... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324469/chinas-vision-new-multipolar-order-depends-yuan-based-system-oleg-deripaska-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324469/chinas-vision-new-multipolar-order-depends-yuan-based-system-oleg-deripaska-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:00:12 +0000 AbdulWahed Jalal Nori AbdulWahed Jalal Nori President Xi Jinping’s renewed call for a new global security and economic order that places the Global South at its core is more than rhetorical positioning against the United States. It signals a paradigm shift in the architecture of world politics. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Monday, Xi called on nations to “oppose hegemonism and power politics” and instead “practise true multilateralism”. The message was unmistakable: the dominance of the US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324164/chinas-vision-true-multilateralism-resonates-muslim-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324164/chinas-vision-true-multilateralism-resonates-muslim-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang In less than a week, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held bilateral talks with leaders from more than 20 countries during two high-profile events – the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern port city of Tianjin and the Victory Day commemoration in Beijing. The themes of the talks have shed more light on China’s engagement with partners as Beijing casts itself as a champion of a multipolar global order and forges closer economic cooperation. Multilateralism: a keyword... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324340/xi-jinpings-diplomatic-marathon-casts-new-light-chinas-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324340/xi-jinpings-diplomatic-marathon-casts-new-light-chinas-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:03:56 +0000 Peiman Salehi Peiman Salehi At the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged member states to accelerate the creation of an SCO development bank, a proposal that could mark a turning point in Asia’s financial landscape. While headlines focused on the high-profile presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi’s proposal points to the SCO’s evolution from a security bloc into a financial actor. Xi also pledged US$1.4... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324123/how-sco-development-bank-could-shift-global-financial-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324123/how-sco-development-bank-could-shift-global-financial-order?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 22:30:07 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Xinyi Wu Ralph Jennings,Xinyi Wu Despite a slowdown in automotive shipments from China to Russia, there is room for them to advance trade settled in yuan and roubles as both countries continue to be pressured away from the US market, analysts said on Tuesday during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the world’s second-largest economy. Russians want consumer goods, personal electronics and common machinery that are difficult to import from the West because of trade sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324077/despite-dip-chinas-exports-russia-new-deals-show-room-grow-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324077/despite-dip-chinas-exports-russia-new-deals-show-room-grow-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li At this year’s meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), President Xi Jinping said China will launch 10 additional Luban Workshops in the organisation’s member countries over the next five years, providing training slots for 10,000 individuals. Named after the ancient architect and inventor Lu Ban, the project is somewhat low profile compared to others in Beijing’s infrastructure-heavy Belt and Road Initiative. But the vocational education programme has quietly expanded across... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324058/chinas-xi-jinping-wants-more-luban-workshops-worldwide-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324058/chinas-xi-jinping-wants-more-luban-workshops-worldwide-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:00:15 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi A slew of foreign leaders took China’s signature high-speed railway from the northern port city of Tianjin to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, having departed from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to attend a Victory Day parade. Seven state leaders arrived on Monday night: President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Maldives Mohamed... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324061/foreign-leaders-ride-rapid-rails-chinas-technological-prowess-after-sco-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324061/foreign-leaders-ride-rapid-rails-chinas-technological-prowess-after-sco-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:31:46 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was founded in 2001 as a Eurasian security bloc by China, Russia and the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It now has 10 full member states, with the addition of Belarus, India, Iran and Pakistan in the past decade. In all, the bloc now brings together 26 countries across Asia, Europe and Africa, including observer states Mongolia and Afghanistan and 14 dialogue partners: Sri Lanka, Turkey, Cambodia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324033/sco-summit-2025-china-showcase-how-far-bloc-has-come-nearly-quarter-century?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324033/sco-summit-2025-china-showcase-how-far-bloc-has-come-nearly-quarter-century?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:40:15 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Russia have withstood the test of international changes and will continue to support each other, President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a high-profile meeting that demonstrated solidarity amid growing pressure from the United States and its allies. “Chinese-Russian relations have stood the test of international circumstances and serve as a model of interstate relations, eternal good-neighbourliness, friendship, comprehensive strategic interaction, mutually... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323994/xi-and-putin-meeting-talks-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323994/xi-and-putin-meeting-talks-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 03:31:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Amid rising global uncertainty, with key Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states facing pressure from the West, China just hosted the most high-profile SCO summit yet. A sense of urgency heightened the incentive for members to work together. The photo of President Xi Jinping talking to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – posted by the latter on social media – speaks volumes. In his keynote speech, Xi said member states should oppose a cold war... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3323940/sense-urgency-sco-powers-work-resist-bullying-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3323940/sense-urgency-sco-powers-work-resist-bullying-west?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 23:15:13 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings A strong push on Monday to create a development bank serving 10 Eurasian countries, including China, would help insulate the group from increasingly risky US dollar-dominated trade while accelerating key infrastructure work, according to analysts. Such a concessional lender – part of an idea that has long been put on hold – would serve China, Russia, India and seven other nations that have worked together since 2001 as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). President Xi Jinping said at a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3323950/china-advances-development-bank-help-10-eurasian-countries-curb-us-dollar-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3323950/china-advances-development-bank-help-10-eurasian-countries-curb-us-dollar-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 22:00:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on American goods to zero, even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making public shows of solidarity with Chinese and Russian leaders in the face of trade pressure from Washington. While calling the US relationship with India “one-sided”, Trump wrote on social media: “They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.” The Indian embassy in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323966/trump-claims-india-offered-zero-tariffs-us-goods-slams-one-sided-ties-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323966/trump-claims-india-offered-zero-tariffs-us-goods-slams-one-sided-ties-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 15:03:10 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has adopted a 10-year strategy aimed at advancing a multipolar world, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The strategy comes at a time when the regional bloc, in a joint declaration, has acknowledged that escalating geopolitical tensions pose an increasing threat to its security. Speaking to reporters after a summit on Monday, Wang said that the SCO Development Strategy until 2035 had “set the tone and a clear direction” for the decade to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323963/sco-has-10-year-plan-multipolar-world-chinas-wang-yi-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323963/sco-has-10-year-plan-multipolar-world-chinas-wang-yi-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:21:17 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China has urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to strengthen their collective financial security and voice in the world as pressure mounts from the United States and its allies. Without naming any country, President Xi Jinping told the SCO state leaders – many of them facing blanket sanctions and punitive tariffs from the US – that the organisation needed to speed up and achieve “real results” to better protect themselves from “hegemonic” bullying. To that end, Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323954/us-sanctions-take-toll-xi-jinping-presses-sco-target-bullying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323954/us-sanctions-take-toll-xi-jinping-presses-sco-target-bullying?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the two countries should deepen cooperation “in all sectors”. The remark was a strong indication that New Delhi would not cut back on crude oil imports from Russia despite pressure from the US. Modi also expressed strong enthusiasm for welcoming Putin to India, in a subtle rebuke of US President Donald Trump. As they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Modi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323957/india-signals-no-oil-import-cut-russia-eagerly-awaits-putin-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323957/india-signals-no-oil-import-cut-russia-eagerly-awaits-putin-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:11:45 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang Three major world powers – China, India and Russia – all with various frictions with the United States, projected an image of solidarity on Monday in front of the international media during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. During his first visit to China in seven years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the hands of his counterparts – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – and pulled them closer. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323934/xi-putin-and-modi-are-grinning-and-smiling-whom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323934/xi-putin-and-modi-are-grinning-and-smiling-whom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 10:11:44 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as three of the world’s most powerful nations foster closer ties amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war. Putin and Modi are among more than 20 world leaders attending the annual SCO event in Tianjin, China, which has been billed as the group’s largest gathering since its establishment in 2001. (See SCMP Plus Factsheet on the SCO.)... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323902/anti-trump-unity-may-fail-create-sco-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323902/anti-trump-unity-may-fail-create-sco-harmony?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:00:22 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese President Xi Jinping called on members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to uphold international fairness and justice while pursuing mutually beneficial economic and cultural cooperation. Xi made the remarks at the official meeting of the SCO leaders during their annual summit in China’s northern city of Tianjin on Monday. Alongside a keynote speech by Xi, leaders from Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia gave... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323877/6-takeaways-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-summit-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323877/6-takeaways-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-summit-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:30:00 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. China is hosting the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern port city of Tianjin, to be attended by dozens of world leaders and chiefs of international organisations. On Monday, President Xi Jinping kicked off the official meeting with leaders of SCO member... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323854/chinas-xi-jinping-address-world-leaders-sco-summit-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323854/chinas-xi-jinping-address-world-leaders-sco-summit-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:21:20 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to play a bigger role in protecting regional peace and stability, as he held up China as a stable power that will champion the developing world. Hosting dozens of state leaders to a welcome banquet as part of the SCO summit in the northern city of Tianjin, Xi said that the grouping had become an “important force in promoting the building of a new type of international relations”. “At present, the world is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323803/sco-summit-chance-china-assert-itself-stable-world-power-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323803/sco-summit-chance-china-assert-itself-stable-world-power-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 04:49:55 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean head Kim Jong-un and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among world leaders set to visit China next week as the country hosts a major military parade and a regional forum. Putin and Kim – on his first China trip in six years – will join Chinese President Xi Jinping for Wednesday’s parade in Beijing, setting up a potential photo of the three upon the Gate of Heavenly Peace. A total of 26 leaders will watch the parade, which marks the 80th... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323639/putin-kim-xi-military-parade-modi-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323639/putin-kim-xi-military-parade-modi-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:00:08 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell In the film Forrest Gump, one of the titular character’s most famous lines is, “My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This should give US President Donald Trump pause. He seems always to talk about poker and who holds the top cards. But in the chaotic and unpredictable world that he has chosen to create, he seems oblivious to the cards he is going to get, or that many of the chocolates in his box are rapidly going stale. Still less, he... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3323491/why-global-south-holds-winning-trade-cards-despite-trumps-bluster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3323491/why-global-south-holds-winning-trade-cards-despite-trumps-bluster?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, the world is watching closely. Modi’s visit will be a historic opportunity to usher in a new era of cooperation between two ancient civilisations whose populations account for just under 35 per cent of humanity, representing the world’s second- and soon-to-be third-largest economies. During Modi’s recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, both seemed to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322841/how-modis-visit-china-can-reshape-asias-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322841/how-modis-visit-china-can-reshape-asias-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 01:30:07 +0000