By Nebi MİŞ
We arrived in Tianjin, China with President Erdogan’s delegation to follow the 25th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
China is hosting the SCO summit for the fifth time. Beijing attaches importance to showmanship as it positions such international summits as a means of showing itself as a “counterweight” to the West in the great power competition. Therefore, great preparations have been made in the city. In a city of around 14 million people, people were asked to stay at home for the summit. The streets are almost empty.
Chinese media feel the need to emphasize that this will be the largest and most spectacular summit of the SCO so far. Leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organizations are expected to attend. They also explain the fact that all but one of the previous summits held in China have been hosted by a port city with the symbolism of “opening China to world trade through ports”.
Founded in 2001, the SCO currently has 10 members, 2 observer countries and 14 dialogue partners. SCO members account for 43 percent of the world’s population and 23 percent of the global economy.
Immediately after the summit, a large military parade will take place in Beijing to commemorate the end of World War II in Asia. Beijing is presenting the participation of a number of incoming leaders in the parade as “part and parcel” of the summit. This military parade is also called
In addition to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, leaders from Myanmar, Serbia and Slovakia will also attend.
Although the official agenda of the Tianjin Summit includes issues such as the integration of economic, security and transport corridors and the adoption of the organization’s “Development Strategy” until 2035, the issues at the forefront are very different.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting China for the first time in seven years. Putin is also back in China at a time when there is talk of a peace deal with the United States to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
India was the most important US ally against China in Asia. Tensions between China and India over border issues have continued to this day. At the same time, China supports Pakistan against India in the region.
In the wake of Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, it is increasingly being analyzed that Modi is seeking new partnerships in Asia, especially in Beijing, to show that he is not without alternatives. However, it is difficult to determine whether the China-India rapprochement is tactical or strategic. According to Chinese media, the two countries intend to “make a fresh start”.
Prior to the visit, Putin praised the China-Russia partnership as a “stabilizing force” for the world and emphasized that they are “united in the vision of building a just and multipolar world order”.
It has always been said that there are often deep rivalries among the SCO members. Differences in political systems, identities and perspectives on world order have been interpreted as a reason for the SCO’s limited influence at the global level.
Nevertheless, China and Russia are promoting their non-Western organizations as an alternative to the US-led world order. In the case of this summit, Beijing aims to showcase its country’s leadership as a counterweight to the US.
President Erdoğan conducted an intense leader diplomacy during this summit. He met separately with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Putin, Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and Iranian President Pezeshkian.
In all the meetings he attended, President Erdoğan drew attention not only to the relations between the two countries, but also to the Israeli problem and the genocide of the Palestinian people. Considering the leaders met, it is possible to see the weight of Turkey’s diplomacy for the solution of regional and global problems on the agenda of each meeting.
Source: https://www.sabah.com.tr/yazarlar/nebi_mis/2025/09/01/buyuk-guc-rekabetinde-yeni-bir-dengelenme-mi
