Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday championed his vision for a new global security and economic order that centres on the “Global South”, signalling a direct challenge to the United States during a summit attended by Russia and India’s leaders.
“We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism,” Xi said, in a pointed reference to the United States and President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. “Global governance has reached a new crossroads,” he added.
Xi hosted over 20 leaders of non-Western countries at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, a China-backed initiative given renewed prominence by the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a display of camaraderie, Putin and Modi were photographed holding hands as they approached Xi, with all three men laughing and standing shoulder-to-shoulder amid interpreters.
“It’s hard to tell if the scene was choreographed or improvised, but it doesn’t really matter,” wrote Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project. “If the U.S. president and his acolytes thought they could use tariffs to pressure China, India, or Russia into submission, that encounter says otherwise.”
After the summit, Modi shared a ride with Putin in the Russian leader’s armoured Aurus limousine on their way to a bilateral meeting. “Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi wrote on X. During the meeting, Putin addressed Modi in Russian as “Dear Mr Prime Minister, dear friend.”
China and India are the largest buyers of Russian crude, with Russia being the world’s second-largest exporter. The United States has imposed additional tariffs on India over these purchases, but not on China.
The Beijing-based SCO, relatively unknown outside the region, was founded over two decades ago as a regional security bloc, with China, Russia, and four Central Asian states as founding members. India joined in 2017.
Xi did not announce concrete steps in his “Global Governance Initiative”, the latest Beijing framework aimed at promoting China’s leadership and challenging U.S.-dominated international institutions established after World War Two. He also advocated for more inclusive economic globalisation amid disruptions caused by Trump’s tariffs, highlighting the SCO’s “mega-scale market” and economic opportunities.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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