China, Russia, and Iran Take Center Stage at SCO Summit

The 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit commenced on August 31 in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital. Discussions were anticipated to center around enhancing trade and digital connections, as well as promoting cultural exchanges. The primary participants included China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, underscoring the summit's purpose to counterbalance US global influence.

On the sidelines of the formal event, significant discussions were likely to take place. Iran's Pezeshkian was expected to seek Chinese and Russian assistance in mitigating the effects of escalating US sanctions. Meanwhile, Putin aimed to reassure SCO members that Russia remains a formidable economic and military force, despite its struggling war efforts in Ukraine. Kyiv's recent drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure and military-industrial complexes have further fueled Putin's concerns.

The official summit agenda mirrored Xi's geopolitical objectives. Prior to the summit's commencement, Xi held a meeting with Kyrgyz officials, touting Beijing's bilateral relationship with host nation Kyrgyzstan as a "golden model of mutually beneficial cooperation," according to the official Xinhua news agency. The gathering in Bishkek would convene leaders from countries with varying levels of bilateral tensions, including China and India, Russia and Armenia, and India and Pakistan.

Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi were expected to attend the summit's opening ceremony together, Indian media reported that a face-to-face meeting was unlikely. Conversely, Putin was set to meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who attended as an observer, to address their disputes over Yerevan's pursuit of European Union membership.

Pakistan is slated to host the subsequent annual SCO heads-of-state gathering in 2027, with Indian officials expressing non-committal attitudes towards their participation in a Pakistani-hosted summit.

In the lead-up to the summit, Modi visited Uzbekistan, where he signed several agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mineral resources and mining. The agreement aims to finalize a long-term deal for Uzbekistan to export uranium to India. In 2026, India had secured a $4 billion deal for uranium with Kazakhstan.