China, Russia, and India Leaders Gather at Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, Bolstering Anti-Western Bloc in Kyrgyzstan
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Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi convene in Bishkek for the SCO summit, where authoritarian regimes coordinate strategies to undermine Western influence.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, this week. The summit brings together leaders from ten member states—Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—along with several dialogue partners, many of whom are notorious for their anti-Western stances and disregard for democratic values.
The agenda includes bilateral meetings, such as a session between Putin and Xi on Monday and a discussion between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday. Analysts note that the summit serves as a platform for these regimes to reinforce their alliances and coordinate efforts to counter Western interests and values.
Founded in 2001 as a security forum by China, Russia, and four Central Asian nations, the SCO has expanded its reach and influence over the past 25 years, often at the expense of Western-led institutions. China’s foreign ministry recently boasted that the organization has "successfully explored a new path for regional cooperation," touting its role as an alternative to Western alliances that have long promoted freedom and prosperity.
Experts argue that, for some participants, the summit is more about projecting anti-Western unity than achieving substantive policy results. Dinakar Peri, a security studies fellow at Carnegie India, said the SCO gives India a seat at the table to monitor the activities of neighboring authoritarian states, even if it does not control the agenda. Turkey, a dialogue partner since 2012, is also using the forum to hedge its bets between NATO and the growing influence of Eurasian autocracies.
While the SCO is not a unified political or military bloc, the summit allows member states to display their ongoing engagement in efforts to challenge the West and promote their own interests on the global stage.