The global governance is at a crossroads, Xi declared to the assembled world leaders in Tianjin.
The Cold War mentality and "bullying" have clarified the need to come together and create an alternative, multipolar world order, according to Xi - an order where all countries should have a voice, but where the global south is prioritized.
In fact, it's more about Xi wanting to create a China-centered world order, notes independent China analyst Kristina Sandklef.
China says it stands for a multipolar world order. What they don't say as explicitly is that it should be Sinocentric with Chinese values.
Choose a side
But then we must remember what China actually is and stands for, she adds: human rights violations, oppression of minorities and opposition, and an economic policy that kills competition.
That every country should have a voice, for example in the UN, sounds nice. But it also means that we democracies end up in a minority and have a harder time getting criticism through, for example, of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
The world leaders at the SCO meeting in China - of which a significant proportion are autocrats - have reason to agree with Xi. The US trade war, where both China and India are threatened with giant tariffs, forces more and more to "choose a side". And Russia is facing another round of sanctions from the West for its war in Ukraine.
It's simply a matter of them having common interests. They want to counter the West's norms and change the current world order.
Thanks to Trump
However, there is a widespread suspicion of China in both Russia and India, Sandklef points out. Beijing, for example, makes claims on the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and as recently as 2020, deadly border clashes broke out between the great powers. The fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed up to the SCO meeting - his first visit to China in seven years - is therefore remarkable.
In practice, China has Trump to thank for India turning east, notes Kristina Sandklef.
If you dislike Trump enough, it's easy to fall into the wrong trap. "My enemy's enemy is my friend", as they say - but it's not always really like that.
With a US that also doesn't seem interested in continuing to play "hegemon in the unipolar world order", Sandklef sees a great risk that we are moving towards an increasingly authoritarian world.
Ask any African dictator who they prefer: China and Russia or annoying types from the West who make demands for democracy and LGBTQ rights? China and Russia don't care about that. They will never criticize any country for violating human rights.
SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) is a Eurasian cooperation organization where China and Russia have leading positions.
The organization originated in a cooperation between China and Russia in the 1990s, which then aimed to resolve border issues in Central Asia. In the early 2000s, the cooperation was formalized and deepened under the name SCO.
In addition to China and Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were also part of the SCO. India and Pakistan became members in 2018, and in recent years, Belarus and Iran have also joined.
According to its statutes, the SCO should strengthen trust between member states and promote cooperation in many areas, with an emphasis on "political stability".
Another 15 states are so-called dialogue partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Kuwait, Laos, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.
