BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan | Leaders of China, Russia and India are gathering in Kyrgyzstan for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a major Eurasian grouping increasingly used by Beijing and Moscow to promote a more multipolar global order and reduce reliance on Western-led institutions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the leaders attending the two-day meeting in Bishkek. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and leaders from other SCO member states are also participating, while several non-member countries and international organisations are represented.
The summit comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and its rivals, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States. The leaders are expected to discuss regional security, trade, energy, transport links and greater economic cooperation.
For China and Russia, the meeting provides an opportunity to demonstrate that they can convene a broad group of Eurasian powers outside traditional Western alliances. Analysts say Beijing is seeking to strengthen its role in Central Asia and promote a more multipolar international system, while Moscow is using the forum to demonstrate that it remains diplomatically connected despite Western sanctions over the Ukraine war.
India occupies a more complicated position. New Delhi maintains close strategic and economic ties with both Moscow and Washington while also managing longstanding tensions with China and Pakistan, both SCO members. Modi is expected to hold bilateral discussions with Putin and potentially other leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, evolving from the earlier Shanghai Five grouping created in 1996. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, bringing the organisation to 10 members.
Despite its growing membership and influence, the SCO is not a formal military alliance and its members have significant differences. India and Pakistan remain rivals, while India and China continue to manage unresolved border tensions. These divisions could limit the organisation’s ability to translate its calls for a multipolar world into concrete joint policies.
The Bishkek summit therefore serves as both a demonstration of growing cooperation among non-Western powers and a test of whether countries with competing interests can build a more coordinated Eurasian bloc.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
