News Analysis
The image of friendship and solidarity among China, Russia, and India was one of the defining moments of the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin.
However, analysts believe that India will likely align more closely with the West over time; it simply needs space to manage the transition. Furthermore, according to one expert, once the war in Ukraine ends or significantly de-escalates, Russia may rebalance its foreign policy by moving away from its exclusive dependence on China and toward broader multilateral engagement.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping used the summit as a stage to assert China’s leadership ambitions, urging SCO member states to “oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontations, and acts of bullying.” According to Chinese state media Xinhua, Xi positioned the SCO as a champion of “true multilateralism,” implicitly contrasting it with the current Western-led global order….
China, Russia, and India Project Unity at SCO Summit—But Fault Lines Remain
