Beijing, September 1, 2025 – Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted leaders from Russia, India, Iran, Turkey, and more than 20 other countries in the Eurasian region on Sunday for a key summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Sunday with a large delegation, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to China since 2018, underlining closer ties between the two nations. Xi Jinping personally welcomed Modi, with several bilateral meetings expected on the sidelines.
The summit, considered the most significant since the SCO’s founding in 2001, is taking place under tight security in Tianjin amid global crises including U.S.-China-India trade tensions, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the Iranian nuclear issue.
The SCO now counts 10 member states and 16 observers or partners, representing nearly half the world’s population and 23.5% of global GDP, positioning itself as a counterweight to NATO.
