What Changes SCO Summit Brought to World Order?

The most significant aspect of the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin is its clear positioning of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a pivotal geopolitical actor in Eurasia, actively shaping a multipolar global order and providing a strategic counterweight to Western-dominated institutions.

The summit highlighted enhanced intra-organizational cohesion among the member states, particularly China and Russia, with a strong emphasis on resisting "Cold War mentality," bloc confrontations, and external interference, which are clear references to US and NATO influence.

The Tianjin Declaration underscored the SCO's commitment to regional security, economic cooperation, and political dialogue, reaffirming principles such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It also reinforced the SCO's role as a platform for Global South countries to pioneer alternative models of international governance based on multilateralism and shared development.

SCO Family

The most important quote from Chinese President Xi Jinping about the SCO at the 2025 Tianjin summit  was:

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is shouldering greater responsibilities for safeguarding regional peace and stability, and for boosting development of various countries in a world of increasing uncertainties and accelerated changes... We must firmly oppose hegemonism and power politics while practicing authentic multilateralism. Global governance has arrived at a new crossroads."

The summit took place amid heightened geostrategic tensions, including the Ukraine conflict and US-mediated peace processes in the South Caucasus seen as intrusions by Russia and Iran, reinforcing the SCO's importance as a non-Western conflict management mechanism.

Additionally, the summit addressed emerging security challenges like terrorism and extremism while promoting cooperation on technological advancement, especially AI. The event, the largest in SCO history, had a broad participation of leaders, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and others, marking a milestone in consolidating this Eurasian alliance's global influence.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's presence was important as well, proving it is trying to achieve a balance in relations between the west and Asia. 

Dr. Muhammad Khan, an expert in International relations, told Radio Pakistan that China gracefully invited Pakistan to next day Victory Parade but not India, despite Modi’s gestures of friendship. 

It means that China does not consider India as a friend or partner. Modi showed a lot of warmth with Russian and Chinese presidents during SCO summit but both realize very well that he was doing so because of tensions with the US. 

The Victory Parade was a huge international event as China showcased supremacy in weaponry. President Xi Jinping sent a strong message that world must decide either peace or war. He also asked the countries to stop bullying China.

To further Pakistani agenda, Mr Sharif will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as the matters of regional and international importance. The Prime Minister will also meet with the Chinese Minister of Information Technology and Industry.

He will also chair the second edition of the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference. This conference will review the outcomes of the first edition held under the Prime Minister’s chairmanship in Shenzhen in June 2024 and will outline the roadmap for future cooperation.

The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has emerged as a defining moment in the evolution of Eurasian geopolitics and global governance. Held from August 31 to September 1 in China's bustling port city of Tianjin, the summit was the largest in the SCO’s history, drawing leaders from over 20 countries and international bodies.

At a time when the global order faces heightened turbulence and intensifying competition among major powers, the summit decisively positioned the SCO as a crucial actor shaping a multipolar world.

Under the theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move,” the gathering emphasized the organization’s maturation from a regional security alliance to a comprehensive platform promoting political dialogue, economic cooperation, and strategic security coordination across Eurasia. The summit unfolded amid a backdrop of ongoing global geopolitical tensions, including the protracted conflict in Ukraine and shifting dynamics in the strategically sensitive South Caucasus region, where U.S.-brokered peace mechanisms have raised alarm in Russia and Iran.

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, invited spouses of foreign leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 to a cruise on Tianjin’s Haihe River (x.com)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, opening the summit, underscored that the world has entered “a new phase of turbulence” marked by the persistence of “Cold War mentality and bullying.”

In a strong statement of principle, Xi framed the SCO as not just a regional body but a global stabilizer that champions a “more just and balanced international governance framework.”

He urged member states to resist external interference and bloc confrontations, implicitly calling out NATO expansion and what Beijing sees as American attempts to influence Central Asian and Caucasus affairs.

The Tianjin Declaration, adopted by all members, reinforced the SCO's commitment to respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity—a clear indirect rebuke to Western-led military coalitions and sanctions regimes.

The declaration also highlighted the organization’s proactive agenda to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism through joint intelligence sharing, coordinated counterterrorism exercises, and robust border cooperation.

This collective security stance reflects real-time concerns about regional stability amid threats such as cross-border terrorism and extremist ideologies.

Economically, the summit showcased strengthened integration efforts with projects like the China-Central Asia Economic Corridor gaining momentum and deeper engagement of the Eurasian Economic Union with SCO frameworks.

The members emphasized sustainable development, trade connectivity, and technological collaboration as pillars of shared growth.

Of particular note was the focus on artificial intelligence, with commitments to enhanced AI cooperation, mitigating risks associated with new technologies, and fostering innovation while ensuring equitable rights for all member states in AI development.

India’s presence, highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance, reaffirmed New Delhi’s cautious yet constructive engagement with the SCO. India balances its strategic autonomy by participating in multilateral cooperation that counters unilateralism but avoids full alignment with any bloc. Modi’s bilateral talks with Xi Jinping on the sidelines were seen as indicative of thawing tensions between the two Asian giants, underscoring the SCO’s role as a dialogue enhancer.

The summit also marked a milestone in the SCO’s expanding inclusivity. Newer members like Iran and Belarus are deepening their integration, and observer states and dialogue partners broaden the organization’s reach, reflecting its growing appeal among Global South actors disillusioned with Western-centric forums like NATO and the EU. This trajectory signals a rising Eurasian-centric counterbalance in global diplomacy and governance.

Security cooperation also intensified with pledges to enhance joint exercises against terrorism and improve border security mechanisms, especially concerning instability in Afghanistan. These measures reinforce the SCO’s dual role as a security provider and a platform for managing complex regional conflicts in a fragmented Eurasian landscape.

With Kyrgyzstan set to assume the SCO rotating presidency for 2025-2026, the organization appears poised to build on the progress achieved in Tianjin. The forward-looking roadmap emphasizes sustained cooperation in security, economic innovation, technological advancement, and sustainable development.

In conclusion, the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin marked a pivotal moment in the consolidation of a multipolar world order. It underscored the SCO’s transformation into a significant geopolitical and economic bloc capable of counterbalancing western-dominated institutions, advancing multilateralism, and fostering Eurasian integration.

The summit’s messages on sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and regional security reverberate across global corridors of power, signaling that the SCO is not just responding to the world’s challenges but is actively shaping a new era of international relations based on partnership, shared development, and mutual respect.

This summit solidified the SCO's place as an indispensable actor in 21st-century geopolitics—steering the Eurasian region toward a stable, cooperative, and multipolar future. The choices made in Tianjin will likely influence the interplay of global powers and the architecture of international governance for years to come.