The presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin alternated in attacking the West during a key summit that led to Tianjin, China, the leaders of the so -called global South, in a moment of growing geopolitical and commercial tensions. The organization for the cooperation of Shanghai (SCO), which includes China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tagikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, is considered a model of cooperation in different sectors including defense and which presents itself with more and more force as an alternative to traditional alliances.
XI told the leaders of Sco, including the Bielorusso president Aleksander Lukashenko and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that the global international situation is becoming increasingly “chaotic and interconnected”. The Chinese leader also criticized the “overbearing behavior” of some countries, a veiled reference to the United States. “The security and development tasks that Member States have to face have become even more demanding,” he added in his speech in the northern port city of Tianjin.
“With the world that crosses turbulence and transformations, we must continue to follow the spirit of Shanghai and perform the functions of the organization at best,” said XI.
The Chinese leader outlined the plans for loans and subsidies and reiterated China’s requests for a new regional development bank. Beijing has exploited Tianjin’s summit to present himself as a pillar of global governance in contrast to the Trump administration, whose duties affected friends and enemies in the region in the same way. XI has held several bilateral encounters on the sidelines of the SCO summit, including the one with ways, and will meet Putin tomorrow.
The head of the Kremlin, which rarely leaves the boundaries of Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began, used his speech to Tianjin to defend “the special military operation”, accusing the West of having caused the conflict that for three and a half years raged in the former Soviet Republic.
“This crisis was not triggered by the attack of Russia to Ukraine, but it was the result of a coup d’état in Ukraine, supported and caused by the West,” said Putin. “The second cause of the crisis are the continuous attempts of the West to drag Ukrainian into NATO”.
At the same time, Putin praised Turkey’s mediation attempts on the war in Ukraine during his first meeting this year with the Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also in Tianjin.
The SCO of the SCO coincides with the 80s anniversary of the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, which China will celebrate on Wednesday with a parade in Beijing. China is engaged in a rewriting campaign of the story in which Beijing is portrayed in the role of custodian of the post -war international order. Putin, the North Korean leader Kim Jong -un – already started from Pyongyang with a special train – and about twenty other heads of state and government, including those of Iran, Myanmar and Pakistan but also Serbia and Slovakia, will participate in a sumptuous parade in which China aims to show off its military capacity.
For XI the summit is a way to present itself as the leader of the new global order.
While the armaments and the presence of countries considered pariah in the West will attract attention and concern, the basic goal of Beijing is more subtle, the Financial Times notes. XI wants to amplify the role of China in the Second World War and in the subsequent peace, when the new global order was established under the aegis of the United Nations.
He also wants to use the anniversary to strengthen China’s sovereignty claims on Taiwan and his position between developing countries as an alternative leader to the United States. While Trump revolutionizes the multilateral system, Beijing sees the opportunity to reinterpret the international order and promote his ambition of a multipolar world.