Xi, Putin set out visions of new world order as SCO summit concludes

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin set out visions of a new world order on Monday as a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded.

The high-level meeting drew the leaders of the organization's 10 Asian and European members, including India's Narendra Modi and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko.

Founded 24 years ago to promote security cooperation and economic ties, the SCO positions itself as a counterbalance to Western alliances, including NATO.

Addressing leaders at the meeting, Putin said Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models have outlived their purpose, arguing that the future belongs to a system "that takes into account the interests of a maximum number of countries and is truly balanced," according to Russian news agency TASS.

The comments were echoed by Xi, who warned against a Cold War mentality and confrontation between different blocs.

"We should seek common ground while putting differences aside," the host said, arguing that the SCO should take responsibility for ensuring peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.

He highlighted the organization's achievements, including counter-terrorism cooperation and industrial investment, saying that the SCO's members together generate an annual economic output of nearly $30 trillion.

However, the group has often struggled to present a united front on recent global conflicts and regional tensions.

Beijing and New Delhi, for instance, have long disputed territories along their shared border, while India and Pakistan clashed in May following a terrorist attack.

The summit in the northern Chinese port city brought together the leaders of Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The "biggest highlight" of the meeting, in the words of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was a proposal by Xi for a new "Global Governance Initiative."

"The monopoly of global governance by a few countries must not be allowed to continue," Xi said, without offering a concrete vision of how the new initiative will operate.

In a joint declaration at the conclusion of the summit, the SCO members condemned trade coercion and condemned attacks on its members.

The message was clearly aimed at the United States, which has pursued an aggressive tariff policy under President Donald Trump's second administration and joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.