SCO SUMMIT CHINA: Shift of Global Power from West to East III
Dr. Syed Mehboob
Senior Business and Political Analyst
Email:[email protected]
SCO Summit 2025 is a clear indication that the world is moving from unipolar to multipolar, and a new world order is emerging. China has emerged as the world champion of development, partnership, peace, and cooperation. President Xi Jinping has emerged as a world leader of development and peace. China does not believe in interference in the internal matters of others. It does not impose its opinion, culture, or language on others. Pakistan has its experience. Although our friendship is centuries old but we have had diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China since 1951. Despite having different languages, religious differences, we find it easy to interact with China and feel comfortable. Our friendship is deeper than oceans and greater than the Himalayas and sweeter than honey. We are proud we have a friend like China, a friend in need and a friend indeed.
China is the first to establish a military confidence-building mechanism in its border areas, and countries with smaller sizes do not fear China but are instead eager to establish friendships and partnerships with it. China is the first to take multilateral actions against the three forces of terrorism, separatism, and extremism. It steadily promoted law enforcement and security cooperation, properly managed and settled differences, unequivocally opposed external interference, and maintained peace and tranquility in the region. China was the first which launch the Belt and Road Cooperation, a large number of signature projects, and “small and beautiful” livelihood projects had been successfully implemented, and industrial investment had been actively advanced, providing robust driving forces for development and prosperity across the region. China’s cumulative trade with other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members has surpassed US$2,300 billion, hitting ahead of schedule the target that it has set. Its multi-dimensional connectivity network has been further improved, and nearly 14,000 kilometers of international land transport routes are in operation among member states. China-Europe Railway Express has operated more than 110,000 train services. China is also the first to conclude a treaty on long-term good-neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation, proclaiming its commitment to forge lasting friendship and refrain from hostilities. It sets up a fully leveraged mechanism, such as the SCO Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation Commission. It built a network for people-to-people friendly exchanges, and expanded cooperation at the subnational level and in such areas as media, think tank, women, and youth, bringing the hearts of people closer to each other.
The Tianjin Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO) reaffirmed commitments to strengthen artificial intelligence cooperation, underscoring “ equal rights of all countries to develop and use Artificial Intelligence (AI). Chinese Prime Minister Mr. Li Qiang proposed an organization to coordinate global efforts to regulate the fast-Artificial Intelligence technology. The SCO members in a joint declaration pledged to cooperate on reducing risks and improving the security and accountability of AI for the benefits of humanity, while committing to implement a roadmap for joint AI cooperation and development. China called on member states for a collaboration center for AI applications, while pledging to promote open-source AI models and share advanced technologies.
It has also been agreed to set up a Shanghai Cooperation Organization Development Bank (SCODB), which would be a significant step in the bloc’s longstanding goal of establishing an alternative system that reduces reliance on the US dollar. China is the largest shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which was launched in 2014 to fund projects in developing nations. China also pledged 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in free aid for member states this year and another 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in loans to the organization’s members over the next three years.
The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 marked a significant change in global politics and the power game. The event brought together under the umbrella of the SCO Summit, global leaders from the Middle East, Central and South Asia, South East Asia, and Africa. These countries adopted the Tianjin Declaration, addressing security, economic, and social challenges while promoting regional cooperation and a multipolar world order. The SCO operates on the “ Shanghai Spirit” principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development, offering an alternative to the Western-dominated, biased, unipolar global order. The SCO summit reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism. The Tianjin Declaration condemned terrorist attacks across member states and emphasized the inadmissibility of a double standard in counter terrorism efforts. The collective security approach shared concerns about stability. The SCO platform provides intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and coordinated responses.
The SCO Summit 2025 reaffirmed the organization's commitment to combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. The Tianjin Declaration condemned terrorist attacks across member states and emphasized the "inadmissibility of double standards" in counter-terrorism efforts. The SCO framework provides a platform for intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and coordinated responses.
This technological focus reflects the SCO's adaptation to 21st-century challenges and opportunities. Member states agreed to cooperate on reducing AI risks while improving security and accountability. The initiative includes establishing collaboration centers for AI applications and promoting open-source AI models.
The SCO Summit 2025 also focused on expanding trade and investment cooperation. The signing of the SCO's Development Strategy until 2035 provides a roadmap for economic integration across multiple sectors. Member states are committed to reducing trade barriers, facilitating investment flows, and developing regional value chains. These efforts aim to increase intra-SCO trade volumes and reduce dependence on external markets and currencies.
The SCO supports expanding cooperation in energy, strengthening the stability of energy supply chains, and promoting a stable global energy market. A statement on sustainable energy development and a roadmap for the energy cooperation strategy until 2030 were approved. The importance of fair energy transition and renewable energy development is emphasized.
The SCO Summit 2025 outcomes suggest implications for global governance evolution. The organization's institutional innovations, from development banking to technology cooperation platforms, provide templates for alternative international structures. The summit's emphasis on sovereignty, non-interference, and mutual benefit offers an approach that appeals to many developing nations seeking alternatives to conditional aid and structural adjustment programs. As global power shifts toward Eurasia and emerging economies, the SCO's role in facilitating this transition becomes important. The organization provides a framework for major powers to coordinate positions on global issues while addressing challenges.
In a nutshell, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO) was a very important and successful global event that paved the way for a multipolar world that would be led by the world Champion of trade, economy, technology, and investment, and would pave the way for a peaceful world. This global leader is none other than CHINA.
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