Xi and Putin Share Bold Vision for a New World Order at SCO Summit
By Global Leaders Insights Team | Sep 01, 2025
At a major summit in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out their plans for a new global system that challenges the U.S.-dominated world order.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, the largest since its start in 2001, brought together more than 20 world leaders, showing a united front among countries in the Global South.
Xi encouraged SCO nations to use their huge combined market to push for fair global trade that benefits everyone. He took aim at old-school "Cold War thinking" and called for a world where all countries have an equal voice, indirectly criticizing U.S. policies like new tariffs that have hit nations like India.
Putin agreed, praising the SCO for bringing back true cooperation by using local currencies for trade. He said the group is building a fair security system for Eurasia, one that puts shared goals ahead of any single nation’s control.
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The SCO now includes 10 full members and 16 partner countries, covering 40% of the world’s population and holding massive energy resources. Experts say the summit is China’s way of offering an alternative to the U.S.-led global system, especially as American policies change under President Donald Trump. Eric Olander from The China-Global South Project noted that the event highlights how the U.S. has struggled to keep up with the growing influence of China, Russia, and their allies.
Not everything was smooth, though. Tensions between India and Pakistan have caused hiccups in past SCO meetings, sometimes blocking joint agreements. Still, the summit’s location in Tianjin—a city with a history of foreign control—sent a strong message about moving past Western dominance. Putin’s decision to stay longer for a Beijing military parade marking the end of World War II only added to the symbolic weight.
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The SCO’s rising influence points to a world shifting toward shared power, with Xi and Putin leading the charge.
