China, Russia and Iran Take Center Stage at SCO Summit
Key Takeaways
- •The SCO summit opened in Bishkek on August 31 for its 25th annual gathering.
- •The agenda is expected to emphasize trade links, digital cooperation and cultural exchanges.
- •Iran’s president is expected to seek Chinese and Russian support against the effects of US sanctions.
- •Putin is expected to use the summit to reinforce Russia’s image despite battlefield losses and drone damage in Ukraine.
- •India and China were expected at the opening ceremony, but reports said a bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi was unlikely.
The 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual gathering began on August 31 in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, with discussions expected to center on building trade and digital links and fostering cultural exchanges.
The agenda is widely seen as aimed at broadly countering US global influence, which is not surprising given that the summit’s most prominent attendees include China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The SCO, which has expanded over time from a regional security forum into a broader political and economic platform, now serves as a venue where member states can pair formal multilateral messaging with a series of bilateral meetings on the margins.
Some of the most important discussions are expected to take place on the sidelines of the formal event. Pezeshkian, for example, is expected to hold bilateral talks aimed at securing Chinese and Russian help in blunting the impact of expanding US sanctions.
Putin will be looking to reassure fellow SCO members that Russia remains a strong economic and military power, despite its faltering war effort in Ukraine. In recent months, Kyiv has launched waves of drone attacks that have caused extensive damage to Russia’s energy infrastructure and military-industrial complex. Meanwhile, the Russian army appears stalled on the front while suffering a heavy toll in casualties.
The official summit agenda closely reflects Xi’s geopolitical priorities. Before the summit began, the Chinese leader met with Kyrgyz officials and described Beijing’s bilateral relationship with the host nation, Kyrgyzstan, as a “golden model of… mutually beneficial cooperation,” the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The gathering in Bishkek will bring together leaders from countries that are currently experiencing bilateral tensions, including China and India, Russia and Armenia, and India and Pakistan. While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi were expected to appear together at the summit’s opening ceremony, Indian media outlets reported that the two were unlikely to hold a face-to-face meeting.
Putin is also expected to meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is attending as an observer, to discuss their differences over Yerevan’s efforts to seek European Union membership.
Pakistan is set to host the next annual SCO heads-of-state gathering in 2027. Indian officials have said they are “non-committal” about their participation in a Pakistani-hosted summit.
Ahead of the summit, Modi stopped in Uzbekistan, where he signed several agreements, including an MoU on mineral resources and mining. Under the memorandum, the two sides will seek to finalize a long-term deal for Uzbekistan to export uranium to India. Earlier in 2026, India struck a $4 billion uranium deal with Kazakhstan.
By Eurasianet
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Threatens New Strikes on Iran
Chevron, ONGC and GE Vernova Near Final Venezuela Energy Deals
Venezuela Helped Build OPEC. Now It May Help Break It Apart
