China's Xi tells SCO leaders to shoulder greater responsibility for regional peace and prosperity

The security forum now carries “greater responsibility” in safeguarding regional peace and stability, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday told around 20 world leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

The ongoing SCO Summit shoulders the important mission of building consensus among all parties and stimulating momentum in cooperation, Xi was cited as telling a welcome banquet, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025 has on its agenda issues such as addressing security challenges more effectively and enhancing financial mechanisms as the countries seek to strengthen unity, shore up multilateralism and better speak for the Global South nations, China Daily reported, citing observers.

The SCO Summit, scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday in Tianjin, will feature the participation of more than 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organisations.

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According to China Daily, the Chinese President will chair the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and the “SCO Plus” Meeting, delivering keynote speeches.

The 2025 Summit is the fifth time China has hosted an SCO summit, and it will be the largest gathering since the organisation’s founding.

Citing an article by the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in People’s Daily on Saturday, he said that the SCO “has held 110 important events” since China took over the rotating presidency in July last year.

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China seeks to enhance collaboration to build upon the Shanghai Spirit, bolster security, catalyse growth, practice multilateralism and strengthen the development of the SCO, Wang said. He added that the country is confident that the upcoming summit will be “a great event of friendship, solidarity and fruitful outcomes”.

Through the summit, China aims to help the SCO “enter a new stage of high-quality development characterised by greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productivity, and to make a greater contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity”, said Wang.

At the upcoming Tianjin Summit, leaders of the SCO member states will jointly sign and issue a declaration, approve a development strategy of the SCO for the next 10 years, issue statements marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II and the 80th founding anniversary of the United Nations and adopt a series of outcome documents on strengthening security, economic, people-to-people and cultural cooperation, according to the report by China Daily.

Citing a written interview to Russia Today by the Chinese Ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, earlier this month, China Daily noted that other items on the agenda include the establishment of financing support mechanisms, such as the SCO Development Bank.

Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “The organisation successfully created a platform that engages more participants and market entities, enhances their interaction and taps into the strengths of the member states,” Sun said.

“The SCO embodies the future trajectory of economic growth and technological innovation,” he further added.

The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are also several dialogue partners and observers.

With inputs from agencies