By Rajwa Quasim
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are gathering in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday for a two-day summit marking the group’s 25th anniversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the summit. The regional grouping is seeking to strengthen cooperation and promote a more multipolar global order.
The summit’s theme is “Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.” Leaders from countries such as Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kazakhstan are also expected to attend, alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which has disrupted global energy and financial markets. According to political analysts, apart from promoting Global South cooperation, the platform would also give countries such as China and India a chance to position themselves as champions of a multipolar world. China and Russia have also been advocating for a world less dominated by Western-led institutions, particularly those led by the U.S.
Leaders from the 10 member states are expected to discuss regional security, terrorism, trade, energy and connectivity, along with current geopolitical tensions.
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Unlike the U.S., China could use the platform to present itself as a great power that advocates for a peaceful resolution of conflicts. William Yang, senior analyst for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that he expects Beijing’s peace rhetoric to remain largely symbolic rather than translate into a concrete resolution proposal. The members also have different strategic priorities and competing interests.
India has tried to balance its ties with Ukraine against record Russian oil purchases, though most of the bloc’s members lean toward Moscow in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Last year, India also refused to endorse an SCO statement condemning Israel’s attack on Iran in June 2025.
Meanwhile, Putin and Erdogan are expected to hold separate talks on Ukraine and tensions in the Black Sea on the sidelines of the summit. Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said, “There are many issues to discuss. Of course, these include the situation in the Black Sea and the Ukraine issue in general.”
The bloc has also struggled to come up with a solution to Kashmir-related India-Pakistan tensions, making it another sticking point that could eventually be addressed at the summit. India is also seeking to improve its bilateral relations with China after years of tension along their disputed border, in addition to pursuing economic and security interests in Central Asia. Among its priorities, India considers security, connectivity and opportunity to be the most important.
Critics argue that India plays a role in both blocs, the SCO and QUAD, as it tries to create space for itself while maintaining relations with QUAD allies and Russia. Reyes from the University of Hong Kong told Al Jazeera, “So China and Russia may see the SCO partly as an instrument for building a less US-dominated international order (though not explicitly mentioned by the bloc). India, meanwhile, sees it more as one of several overlapping platforms through which it can maximize its own agency.”
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Meanwhile, Trump considers Global South blocs to be anti-American. The Trump administration has increased U.S. engagement with Central Asia’s C5 countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — continuing initiatives started under former President Joe Biden. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump are expected to visit the Central Asian region later this year.
The SCO, which started as the “Shanghai Five” in 1996 with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, was initially intended to settle border disputes and serve as a security bloc. It has since expanded with much broader aims. The Shanghai Five was transformed into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2001 with the addition of Uzbekistan, with its headquarters in Beijing. India and Pakistan joined in 2017. Iran became a member in 2023, and Belarus joined the grouping in 2024.
The bloc now has 14 key dialogue partners. It represents at least 43% of the world’s population and 23% of the global economy.