The September 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin marked a turning point not just for the organization itself but also for global geopolitics. While the SCO has long been seen as a regional forum largely overshadowed by BRICS, the Tianjin summit managed to grab unprecedented attention from Western policymakers, analysts, and media outlets. The reasons for this go beyond routine diplomacy. What happened in Tianjin-and the signals it sent-showed that Eurasia is no longer willing to remain confined to traditional power dynamics shaped by the West. Instead, countries are increasingly experimenting with mechanisms to navigate old rivalries, forge new bonds, and reimagine multipolarity on their own terms.

Among the most striking developments at the summit was the thaw-however tentative-between India and China. The two Asian giants, whose relationship has been marred by territorial disputes, military standoffs, and competing strategic visions, showed cautious willingness to seek areas of convergence. Whether this signals the beginning of a deeper rapprochement or just a tactical pause remains an open question. Yet, it is precisely this possibility of recalibration that has unsettled Washington and its allies, who have long hoped to keep India firmly aligned against Beijing.

For years, BRICS has been the grouping that commanded Western scrutiny. With members spanning four continents, the establishment of the New Development Bank, moves to settle trade in national currencies, and calls to reduce dependence on the US dollar, BRICS openly challenged the Western financial order. The SCO, in contrast, remained geographically confined to Eurasia, often dismissed as a talking shop dominated by China and Russia, with India and Pakistan seen as late and reluctant entrants.

The Tianjin summit changed this perception. China deliberately staged the gathering as a spectacle of power projection, much like it did during the 2008 Olympics to showcase its economic rise. This time, however, the message was military. The massive parade of advanced weaponry sent a direct signal to the United States: the balance of power in the western Pacific has shifted. Washington took note, with even President Donald Trump acknowledging that he had watched the parade and found it “impressive.” Whether the display nudges the US toward accommodation of China’s regional interests or provokes a counter-escalation remains to be seen, but the symbolism was........

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