At the close of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Tianjin on 31 August–1 September 2025, the shapes of multipolar order were evident.

The SCO: An Expanding Eurasian Bloc

Founded in 2001 as a successor to the Shanghai Five, the SCO has transformed into the world’s largest regional organisation. Its members now include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran (since 2023), and Belarus (since 2024). The organisation spans over three billion people and covers vast energy resources, transport corridors, and some of the world’s most strategic geography.

Originally focused on security cooperation—especially countering terrorism, separatism, and extremism—the SCO has steadily broadened into economic, cultural, and political domains. Its structures include the Secretariat in Beijing and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent, with initiatives expanding into finance, education, infrastructure, and digital governance.

Xi Jinping’s Vision: A Multipolar, Inclusive Order

At Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping positioned the SCO as a cornerstone of his broader geopolitical strategy. He described the organisation as an “anchor of stability” and a “platform for building an equal and orderly,........

© New Eastern Outlook