SCO summit kicks off in Tianjin with Xi Jinping’s call for unity and regional stability

The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit formally opened on Sunday night with a grand banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.

Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, welcomed international guests at the banquet in the northern port city, which is hosting the SCO’s largest-ever gathering. This year’s summit brings together leaders of the 10-member group, 20 foreign leaders, and 10 heads of international organisations including UN Secretary General António Guterres.

The formal summit meeting will take place on Monday at a specially designated convention centre, where leaders are expected to deliver speeches and adopt key documents, including the SCO’s development strategy for the next decade.

The speech of Prime Minister Modi will be keenly watched for its content in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s tariff war and his meeting with Xi on Saturday, which was widely expected to provide a new road map for the ties.

In his welcome banquet address, Xi said the SCO bears greater responsibilities in safeguarding regional peace and stability, and for boosting the development of various countries in a world of increasing uncertainties and accelerated changes.

Addressing the banquet, Xi expressed confidence that with concerted efforts of all parties, the summit will be a complete success, and that the SCO is certain to play an even bigger role and achieve more progress, making a greater contribution to boosting the unity and cooperation among member states, pooling the strength of the Global South and pushing for more progress of human civilisation.

Founded in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members into a 26-nation family of 10 members, two observers and 14 dialogue partners spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.

With major emerging markets and developing countries such as China, Russia and India among its members, the SCO represents nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economy.

The Tianjin summit is the largest-ever annual summit of the group. Member states are expected to adopt key documents, including the organisation’s development strategy for the next decade.

Prior to the summit, Xi held more than a dozen bilateral meetings with arriving leaders in Tianjin, including one with Modi.

Xi told the guests at the banquet that as an open and inclusive city, Tianjin serves as a pioneering zone for China’s reform and opening-up, and hosting the summit here will undoubtedly inject new vitality into the sustainable development of the SCO.

Tianjin, regarded as one of China’s high-tech cities, was totally deserted during the past few days, with residents either staying indoors or moving out temporarily.

Besides 20 foreign leaders, the city is also hosting over 3000 journalists descended on this from all over China and the world.

With inputs from agencies