The 25th SCO Summit is scheduled to be held in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1, 2025. This much-awaited summit needs to be seen in the context of not only what China is doing but also the geopolitical alignment that India might be seeking. The last time PM Modi of India attended an SCO summit in person was in 2022. The 2023 SCO Heads of State Summit was held virtually, with PM Modi chairing it.

One of the reasons that brings Modi back to SCO and most importantly, to China, the host country, is the 50% tariff snub it got from President Trump. India considered this American act as unjust and irresponsible. Unjust because China is the largest importer of Russian oil, yet it is not sanctioned, but India was. So the diplomatic response by India was in line with how it chose to serve its national interest. We will not be told whom we can buy from and from whom we cannot, said India, thus laying the ground for seeking strategic autonomy. Modi heads to China, understanding the geopolitical weight of the SCO. If India won't export to the US, it will seek alternative markets of the SCO and BRICs as well as access to their resources and the energy reserves.

India's refusal to join BRI is based on the fact that such an action would undermine its sovereignty. CPEC is the flagship project of BRI, and India fears that joining BRI might legitimise Pakistan's claim over the disputed Kashmir territory that India claims and Pakistan holds. If India is seeking a broad geopolitical alignment, which means mending its........

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