International Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Xi advancing his vision, yet, does it strike a chord?

Headline: SCO Summit Concludes with Tianjin Declaration, but Questions Remain over China's Actions and Sincerity

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which took place in China and concluded on Monday, saw the signing of the Tianjin Declaration by the SCO's ten member states. The declaration, however, has raised questions about China's commitment to real actions and sincerity, according to researcher Sana Hashmi.

The summit, hosted by China, brought together more than 20 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Modi's attendance marked his first visit to China since the deadly border clashes between the two sides in 2020.

During the summit, Modi and Xi affirmed that China and India are development partners, not rivals. Xi Jinping also urged Modi not to let border issues define the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The SCO, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian countries, aims to promote regional stability, economic cooperation, and combat terrorism and extremism. The organisation has primarily focused on regional security issues and anti-terrorism efforts rather than direct intervention in specific regional conflicts.

The Tianjin Declaration, while not mentioning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, did condemn the Pahalgam attack in India-administered Kashmir and Israeli and US strikes on Iran. The declaration also advocates fairness over dominance and a commitment to maintaining an open global economy, as stated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

One major outcome of the summit was support for a multilateral trading system "in the face of unilateral bullying resurfacing," according to Wang Yi. The SCO's largest summit also resulted in a joint declaration pledging a deepened strategic alliance in the Global South.

However, India did not join the rest of the SCO's member states in supporting China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Sana Hashmi, an affiliated scholar with the Research Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs, stated that China used the 2021 SCO summit to signal to the US that India is no longer aligned with them.

Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, viewed the summit as a success for Beijing, stating that it showcased the country's ability to bring together global leaders. Despite this, questions remain about China's commitment to the pledges made during the summit.

Our website reported on the SCO summit from both Taipei and New Delhi, providing comprehensive coverage of the event. As the outcomes of the summit are still uncertain, it remains to be seen whether the pledges made by China will translate into real actions and sincerity.