Xi Hosts Putin and Modi at China’s Largest SCO Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host more than 20 heads of state at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin from 31 August to 1 September, seeking to present the bloc as the nucleus of a more equitable, post-Western international order. The gathering, the largest since the SCO was created in 2001, is expected to draw leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia, underscoring Beijing’s push for what it calls Global South solidarity. Among the most closely watched guests are Russian President Vladimir Putin—eager for diplomatic recognition as Western sanctions persist over the Ukraine war—and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making his first trip to China in more than seven years. Analysts say Xi hopes the optics of hosting both men will show that U.S. efforts to isolate Moscow and contain Beijing have limited reach. On the summit sidelines, Beijing and New Delhi are expected to discuss incremental steps to ease lingering border frictions, while Moscow looks for trilateral engagement with its two largest Asian partners. Putin will remain in China after the meeting to attend a World War II victory parade in Beijing, further extending his rare foray abroad. Although major policy breakthroughs are not anticipated, diplomats and analysts note that the event’s symbolic value could strengthen the SCO’s appeal among emerging economies seeking alternatives to U.S.-led institutions.