Global Research
Global Research, September 04, 2025
The commemoration on this day of the victory of the Chinese people against the Japanese Empire in 1945 has coincided with the summit in Tianjin of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization signifying a decisive victorious step towards a new era of international relations. The summit represents a strategic convergence that will finally allow the nations of the majority world to move forward and achieve the full human development of their peoples in conditions of security and peace.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has always emphasized security and stability as fundamental factors for the development of all areas of the national life of its member countries. But they also promote them very seriously as essential factors for establishing more just and democratic international relations. The interaction in Tianjin of China, India and Pakistan, together with their other partner countries, demonstrates that any incidental differences between them, even sharp differences, do not prevent consensus and cooperation on objectives of greater importance for the Common Good of their Peoples.
The positive results of the SCO’s performance are not limited to the populations of its ten member countries (Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) because they are shared among the entire Eurasian region. That is why the two observer countries (Afghanistan and Mongolia) and the 15 dialogue partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey) also participated in the Tianjin Summit in the SCO+ format, along with other countries such as Malaysia.
Quite rightly, President Xi Jinping, when he addressed the Council of Heads of State and Government of the member countries, recognized their respective contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world. A central concern of the Summit was the increasing abuse of unilateral measures by Western powers to manipulate international trade and punish third countries unilaterally and arbitrarily. In Tianjin, the SCO leaders recognized that the world is at a crossroads, and pledged to work together to promote genuine multilateralism and mutually advantageous cooperation.
Trade figures demonstrate the strength of the relations of its member countries at the regional level. For China, its trade with the SCO countries has reached almost US$900 billion, more than 14% of its total trade. India’s average Gross Domestic Product growth has been around 7% for five consecutive years. In contrast to the poor performance of other regions of the global economy, average GDP growth of the SCO countries in 2024 exceeded 5% and industrial production increased by 4.6%. In 2024, together, China, India and Russia contributed 24% of total global trade which was around US$33 trillion in that year.
In this context of robust economic performance, the SCO countries signed 20 important documents, including agreements on cooperation towards a common strategy for development; joint measures against extremism, separatism and terrorism; a roadmap to ensure regional energy security and a decisive consensus on support for a multilateral framework for international trade. Among the most important specific agreements were the establishment of the SCO Development Bank which will complement the work of the BRICS New Development Bank and the Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank. The Summit in Tianjin also adopted common positions in defense of the Palestinian people and Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear development, against the militarization of space, against terrorism and on UN reform.
In summary, the Tianjin Summit was a triumph for the diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China and more than justified the confidence of SCO member countries in the good faith of President Xi Jinping and his government as trustworthy and sincere interlocutors. In fact, the SCO Summit provided a highly relevant context allowing President Xi Jinping to announce a Global Governance Initiative in order to correct the serious fundamental weaknesses of the UN system. China identifies three main weaknesses of the UN, these being: the lack of representation of the Global South, the deterioration of the UN’s institutional authority, and the imperative to make responses to common challenges to humanity, such as climate change, more effective.
In essence, the Global Governance Initiative is a modernization of the Five Principles of Coexistence elaborated by China in 1953. Their contemporary version now also includes five points, which are: sovereign equality between countries, respect for international law without double standards, democratic multilateralism, a focus on the common good of Peoples and the genuine resolution of real problems. The Global Governance Initiative complements previous Initiatives declared by President Xi Jinping, on Global Development, Global Security and Global Civilization.
The authorities of the People’s Republic of China make it very clear that the Global Governance Initiative aims to improve and strengthen the United Nations system, not to replace it. In its explanation of the concept of the Initiative, the Chinese government states, “Humanity has become a closely intertwined community of shared future. Strengthening global governance is the right choice for the international community to share development opportunities and address global challenges. China will strengthen joint efforts with all parties to explore ways to reform and improve global governance and open up a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.”
The Global Governance Initiative represents an extremely formidable and complex challenge given the categorical bad faith of the collective West and the lack of honesty, dignity and steadfastness on the part of many governments of the majority world. In addition, there is a great deal of negative psychological warfare within the majority world, even in member countries of the SCO or the BRICS+ group, to sow distrust and division. For example, a typical damaging falsehood circulated by pro-Western elements is the cynical accusation against China of promoting multipolarity at the global level but of seeking hegemony at the regional level.
However, the model of cooperation and trust developed between China and Russia proves the opposite. In fact, President Vladimir Putin has commented in the last couple of days “When we talk about the multipolar world, we do not imply at all that new hegemons are supposed to emerge. No one deals with the issue in this way, whether within the SCO or the BRICS.” Self-evidently, it is perfectly feasible for India, Pakistan, Iran or the countries of Central Asia to maintain their autonomy while collaborating with the giant economy of China to guarantee their prosperity based on their own strengths, their own identity and their own great potential.
It may be true that Russia is a special case given its tremendous natural resources, which allow taking on huge energy infrastructure projects such as the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. It is a project that will free China and potentially all of South-East Asia from having to depend on energy imports by sea, along routes constantly under threat from the US navy. In the same way, regional Eurasian security and stability require deepening and expanding regional connectivity, for example in relation to the North-South International Transport Corridor, for which India, Iran and Pakistan are geographically and economically indispensable.
As President Xi Jinping commented in his remarks to the meeting of the SCO+ group of countries in Tianjin,
“We should take a step forward to take responsibility for open cooperation around the world. The SCO member States have rich energy resources, large markets and strong internal driving forces, and we are contributing an increasing share to global economic growth. We must continue dismantling walls, not erecting them; we must seek integration, not decoupling. We should promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and push for universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.”
President Vladimir Putin complemented President Xi Jinping’s vision with remarks on the financial, investment and trade and energy coordination aspects of the SCO’s development, noting,
“We advocate the issuance of joint bonds by the SCO member states, the establishment of our own payment, settlement and deposit infrastructure, and the creation of a bank for joint investment projects… Road, rail and multimodal freight traffic is growing… The sectoral roadmap we are adopting today is based on that strategy and aims to pursue a coordinated and balanced energy policy throughout the SCO space.”
This synergy of cooperation for mutual benefit between the SCO countries will be significantly increased by the agreements reached at the meetings held in Tianjin and Beijing. Of utmost importance is the mutual recognition by President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India and China are partner countries and not rivals. This message of the imperative to unite efforts to achieve the Common Good of our countries in the majority world was also a central theme of President Xi Jinping’s address prior to the impressive military parade in Beijing for the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People in the War against Japanese Aggression and the Anti-Fascist World War.
In his message President Xi Jinping observed that,
“History warns us that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all countries and nations treat each other as equals, coexist in peace and support each other, will we be able to maintain common security, eradicate the root causes of war and prevent historic tragedies from happening again…
“Today, humanity once again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and a zero-sum game. The Chinese people are firmly on the right side of history and the progress of human civilization. We will remain committed to the paths of peaceful development and join hands with all the peoples of the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity…
“On a new journey in a new era, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China follow Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong thought, Deng Xiaopeng theory, the three principles theory, the scientific perspective of development and fully implement the thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era.
“We will stand firm on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and carry forward the great spirit of the war of resistance. We should move forward with enterprise and resolve and move onward together in the cause of making China a great country on all fronts and achieve great national rejuvenation through China’s modernization. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation is Irresistible. The noble cause of peace and the development of humanity will prevail.”
For our revolutionary countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the socialist example of China is inspiring, of its rescue of sovereignty through resistance and its triumph over aggression and fascism. China’s vision of indivisible security has made possible great advances for the Common Good of the peoples of the Eurasian region based on the principles of non-formation of military alliances, no confrontation and no targeting of third countries. Thanks to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Republic of China has achieved a unique feat by carrying out in practice its commitment to a community of shared future for humanity.
It has managed to express this vision through a firm defense of its sovereignty and a broad practice of socialist solidarity, along with a tireless commitment to peace and the principle of indivisible security. On this 80th Anniversary of the Triumph of the People of China, the history, vision and practice of the People’s Republic of China ratifies, vindicates and strengthens the revolutionary principles defended by the Cuban Revolution, the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela and the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua to move onward ever further on with the human development of our peoples in the face of any threat.
Feel free to repost Global Research articles with proper attribution.
This article was originally published on Tortilla con Sal, translated from Spanish.
Stephen Sefton, renowned author and political analyst based in northern Nicaragua, is actively involved in community development work focussing on education and health care. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).
Leave a Reply