Key Takeaways from the Opening of the SCO Summit in Tianjin
The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit opened in Tianjin on Monday with a strong call for fairness, justice, and cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping, delivering the keynote address, urged member states to reject hegemonism, cold war mentalities, and bloc confrontations, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan emphasized the importance of sovereignty, dialogue, and peaceful regional integration. Together, their speeches underscored the SCO’s ambition to serve as a platform for multipolarity and cooperation in an era of shifting global dynamics.
Xi’s address set the tone for the session, highlighting the need for an inclusive system of global governance rooted in the UN and WTO frameworks. He urged members to champion multilateralism and resist unilateral approaches. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko supported this call, describing the world as moving from a unipolar system toward a “fair multipolar order.” This emphasis on justice and inclusivity created the foundation for subsequent discussions on financial independence, development, and peace.
Building on the theme of fairness, Xi proposed the urgent creation of an SCO Development Bank to provide resilience and long-term stability. He pledged 2 billion yuan (US$280 million) in grant aid this year, alongside an additional 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in loans through the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years. Lukashenko reinforced the idea, stressing the need for an SCO-led financial mechanism to encourage trade in national currencies and insulate members from external pressures.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech dovetailed with these economic and political themes but carried a distinctly regional emphasis. He reaffirmed that Pakistan respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SCO members and its neighbours, a message widely interpreted as an indirect reference to India. Expressing disappointment over “disturbing developments” in recent months, Shehbaz highlighted India’s unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, stressing that uninterrupted access to water under existing agreements was essential for regional stability and for the SCO’s broader mission.
Shehbaz further underlined Pakistan’s longstanding belief in dialogue, diplomacy, and multilateralism over conflict and confrontation. “We seek normal and stable relations with all our neighbours,” he said, calling for a “comprehensive and structured dialogue” under SCO leadership to resolve outstanding disputes in South Asia. He positioned the SCO as a platform that “best represents Pakistan’s abiding commitment to regional cooperation and integration,” praising President Xi’s visionary leadership and linking China’s role in the bloc to landmark projects like the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Returning to broader cooperation, Xi urged SCO members to align their strengths in energy, green industries, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and innovation. He called for deeper synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the SCO’s economic framework, stressing that “win-win outcomes” are achievable if the bloc leverages its collective scale and complementary economies.
In parallel, Xi and Shehbaz both stressed the importance of cultural and educational exchanges as tools of long-term cooperation. Xi announced 10 Luban Workshops across SCO countries within five years, training 10,000 professionals. He also pledged to double SCO scholarships from next year and initiate a joint doctoral training program. Shehbaz added that Tianjin itself symbolized China’s role as a “connector and bridge of cultures and civilizations,” thanking Beijing for its hospitality and congratulating Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on their national days.
The Ukraine crisis also featured in the opening discussions, with Russian President Vladimir Putin blaming Western-backed interference and NATO expansion for the conflict. He welcomed efforts by China, India, and other SCO members to mediate and called for a sustainable settlement based on security balance and dialogue.
Bringing the themes together, Xi described the SCO as a “proactive force for world peace and development,” while Shehbaz pledged Pakistan’s full support for the bloc’s collective progress. With 26 members cooperating in more than 50 areas and a combined economic output nearing US$30 trillion, the SCO is increasingly positioning itself as both an economic powerhouse and a diplomatic alternative to Western-led alliances.
The opening of the Tianjin summit showcased the SCO’s growing role as a platform for multipolarity, with Xi calling for global fairness and Shehbaz underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to sovereignty, treaties, and dialogue. With pledges of financial independence, cultural exchanges, and regional cooperation, the summit began with a united message: the SCO will continue to expand its influence as a counterweight to unilateralism while seeking peace, prosperity, and stability across Eurasia.
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