Xi to Host Putin and Modi at SCO Summit to Showcase Global South Unity

Tianjin, China, August 26, 2025 – Chinese President Xi Jinping will host more than 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The summit aims to highlight Global South solidarity amid the second presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump, while providing Russia, under international sanctions, an opportunity for a diplomatic breakthrough.

The event marks Modi’s first visit to China in over seven years, signaling efforts to ease tensions following deadly border clashes between India and China in 2020. Modi previously joined Xi and Putin at the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, despite Western leaders’ reluctance to engage with Putin due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project, noted that Xi aims to use the summit to project a vision of a post-American-led global order, countering U.S. efforts to isolate China, Russia, Iran, and now India. “Just look at how much BRICS has rattled Donald Trump, which is precisely what these groups are designed to do,” Olander said. The SCO, founded in 2001, has grown from six Eurasian nations to a bloc of 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue and observer countries. While its focus has expanded from security to economic and military cooperation, analysts argue it has yet to deliver significant outcomes. Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Program at Takshashila Institution, described the SCO’s vision as “fuzzy,” noting its limited effectiveness in addressing major security issues despite its growing convening power. Tensions persist between key members India and Pakistan. In June, India blocked a joint statement at the SCO defense ministers’ meeting, citing the omission of a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir on April 22, which sparked intense India-Pakistan clashes. India also refused to endorse the SCO’s condemnation of Israeli attacks on Iran, an SCO member, earlier that month. However, recent progress in India-China relations, alongside renewed U.S. tariff pressures under Trump, has raised expectations for productive talks between Xi and Modi on the summit’s sidelines. Analysts anticipate announcements on incremental border measures, including troop withdrawals, relaxed trade and visa restrictions, and cooperation in areas like climate and people-to-people engagement. Olander emphasized the summit’s symbolic importance, stating, “This summit is about optics, really powerful optics.” While Modi is expected to leave China post-summit, Putin will remain for a military parade in Beijing to commemorate the end of World War II, marking an extended international visit for the Russian leader.