The Belt and Road Initiative, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that began on September 2, 2023, in Tianjin, northern China. This meeting will be the fifth annual SCO summit hosted by China. As in 2018, Xi Jinping is again presiding over the event, this time in his capacity as the event’s rotating chair. The invitation-only summit draws global leaders, including heads of state, from more than 20 countries. It further convenes heads of 10 international organizations, serving the crucial function of preserving regional cooperation.
The SCO is a pivotal political and security alliance founded in 2001, comprising ten member states: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. The purpose of the summit is to promote greater cooperation between these countries in multiple sectors, such as security, economic development and cultural integration.
During the summit, participants will issue statements commemorating two significant anniversaries: the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, as well as the founding anniversary of the United Nations. These commemorations serve as a powerful reminder that our complex international relations today were often shaped by such historical events and their legacies.
The summit is expected to adopt a series of outcome documents designed to increase collaboration on security issues. Additionally, it will shine a spotlight on building economic opportunity and deepening people-to-people ties. We expect the new Tianjin Declaration to be jointly signed. Simultaneously, we will finalize a new strategic plan that will set the course for our new goals over the next ten years. These official Protocols will be an important touchstone for cooperation within the SCO between member states in the years to come.
We’re excited to have these notable leaders participating in the summit. They are Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Narendra Modi of India, Masood Pezeshkian of Iran and Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan. Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold a meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
Immediately following the SCO summit, a “SCO Plus” meeting will take place. This meeting will provide the space for the nations participating to develop more in-depth dialogue. These days, so much of the chatter is about a massive, large-scale military parade that’s planned for September 3. It will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are among the heads of state that Xi Jinping will host during the event.
