BEIJING – On Aug 31, more than 20 world leaders will gather in China for a regional security summit in a tightly choreographed display of Beijing’s convening power and Global South solidarity, amid sharpened rivalry with the United States.
Three days later, on Sept 3, China will stage a grand military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square featuring its latest and most advanced weaponry to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
All eyes will be on how China uses the back-to-back high-key events to pitch a multipolar, less US-centric international order while notching diplomatic wins to add to its great power credentials, said analysts.
Dr Alexander Korolev, senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, said Beijing’s main diplomatic goal in the coming days is to “consolidate its existing partnerships with the countries representing the so-called non-West”.
“In the face of an intensifying US-China rivalry, Beijing is investing more energy into its strategic partnership with Russia and other non-Western powers,” said Dr Korolev, who researches China-Russia-US relations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the political heavyweights attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern port city of Tianjin from Aug 31 to Sept 1.
Key leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and South-east Asia, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, are also attending the summit. Among confirmed attendees are also UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.
After the SCO summit, Mr Putin will stay on to attend the parade, while Mr Modi will depart China after the summit. Bilateral meetings are also likely to be held on the sidelines of the summit and before the parade.
It will be Mr Putin’s first visit to China after he met with US President Donald Trump on the Ukraine war in Alaska earlier in August. It also marks Mr Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, as India and China seek to dial down tensions after their deadly 2020 border clashes.
A total of 26 foreign heads of state and government will attend the parade, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Aug 28.
Besides Mr Putin,
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is also attending,
which would mark the first public appearance of the two leaders alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. The only Western leader in the confirmed list is Mr Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, a European Union (EU) member state.
Professor Wang Yiwei of Renmin University’s Institute of International Affairs said the summit, followed by parade sequence, is designed to signal that China aims to “provide more security public goods to the international community” and that it is a “mainstay for safeguarding world peace”.
“As a United Nations (UN) Security Council permanent member, China should uphold the UN’s authority, safeguard the post-war order, promote multipolarisation and boost the confidence of the Global South,” said Prof Wang, a former Chinese diplomat to the EU.
Prof Wang said the upcoming SCO summit, compared with when China last hosted it in 2018, comes amid a very different backdrop with US President Donald Trump having taken office for a second term in January 2025.
“The post-war order has been disrupted, and countries are disappointed with the UN and the US. As a result, the SCO has become a global organisation, not just one for the Eurasian region,” he said.
In a press conference on Aug 22 to announce the list of confirmed attendees for the summit, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said the upcoming summit would be the “largest in SCO history” and an “important force in building a new type of international relations”.
He added that Mr Xi will announce new measures at the summit to support high-quality development of the SCO and comprehensive cooperation, and propose ways for the grouping to “constructively safeguard the post-war international order and improve the global governance system”.
Mr Xi will also chair the heads of state meeting, an “SCO Plus” meeting, deliver keynote speeches, and host a welcome banquet and bilateral meetings, said Mr Liu.
Some analysts note that the SCO is not the picture of harmony and unity it projects.
The SCO started as a security grouping of six Eurasian nations – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – in 2001. With the addition of India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus, the grouping has now grown to 10 member states, alongside two observer states and 14 dialogue partners.
But its credibility as a peace-building platform has been dented by its failure to prevent four out of the 10 full members from being embroiled in conflict in 2025 – whether with each other or with nations outside the bloc.
Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2022. India and Pakistan’s longstanding frictions over the disputed region of Kashmir flared into a brief armed conflict in May 2025. In June 2025, Iran launched a short but fierce attack on Israel.
Such conflicts have also exposed rifts within the SCO itself. New Delhi broke ranks in June when it refused to endorse the SCO’s condemnation of Israeli attacks on Iran.
Mr Claus Soong, an analyst with the foreign relations team at German think-tank Merics, said that the SCO “does not have much function in reality”. But he notes that the grouping acts more as a “narrative-building vehicle” that is still in its early stages.
“The SCO is trying to build a narrative as a non-Western, China-led initiative with those who are not part of the West. So symbolically, it matters,” said Mr Soong, who specialises in China’s role in the Asia-Pacific and the Global South.
“Diplomatically, Beijing gets to show off how much more influential it has become and how many friends China has at the SCO, many of whom will then stay on for the parade,” said Mr Soong.
While initially focused on security and counter-terrorism, the SCO has since broadened its agenda to include economic, trade, energy and cultural cooperation.
Analysts said this year’s summit carries added weight as it takes place amid geopolitical flux, particularly the US’ tariff war with many countries.
On Aug 27, Mr Trump’s steep 50 per cent tariffs on India, half of which were imposed as punishment for India’s purchases of Russian oil and weapons, took effect.
“In a way, Trump has brought China, Russia and India together. When we look at the photo of the three leaders together at the SCO, would it be a confrontation, or at least a challenge, to the American hegemony?” said Mr Soong.
The three leaders last shared the same stage at the 2024 Brics summit in Kazan, Russia. On Aug 20, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said Moscow hoped trilateral talks with India and China would take place soon.
UNSW’s Dr Korolev said China’s visible proximity to Russia during the SCO and parade, reinforced by large Chinese purchases of Russian oil and joint military exercises, sends a strong deterrence signal to the US that in the case of potential confrontation, Russia will be willing to support China, even if indirectly.
In the face of Western sanctions and isolation after the war in Ukraine started, Moscow has been careful not to antagonise Beijing, as its alignment with China helps it remain a significant player in great power politics in the Indo-Pacific, noted Dr Korolev.
For instance, Dr Korolev noted that before meeting Mr Trump in Alaska, Mr Putin first got on the phone with Mr Xi to secure Beijing’s backing.
“China, and Asia more broadly, has become a priority strategic interest for Russia, and Moscow will want to continue nurturing these relationships,” said Dr Korolev.
On Aug 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping also reaffirmed ties, saying that the China-Russia relationship is “unparalleled in terms of stability, maturity and strategic significance among major-country relations,” Chinese state media China Daily reported.
Said Dr Korolev: “The bottom line is that both Russia and China have difficult relations with the West, whereas India is trying to diversify its portfolio of partnerships, which generates opportunities for all three countries.”
