Xi, Putin and Modi on the new global order

Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday outlined his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritizes the “Global South,” in a direct challenge to the United States, during a summit also attended by the leaders of Russia and India.

"We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics and practice genuine multilateralism," Xi said, in a veiled criticism of the US and President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

“Global governance has reached a new crossroads,” he added.

Xi hosted more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Chinese initiative that has gained new momentum with the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a picture designed to convey an air of solidarity, Putin and Modi are shown holding hands as they walk towards Xi before the summit opens. The three leaders stand side by side, smiling and surrounded by translators.

“It’s hard to tell whether the scene was staged or improvised, but it doesn’t really matter,” wrote Erik Olender, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project, a research agency. “If the US president and his followers thought they could use tariffs to force China, India or Russia into submission, this one sends the opposite message.”

A joint statement on trade adopted at the summit said that member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization oppose trade measures that violate the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Reuters reported.

The countries expressed concern about measures that undermine the stability of the global supply chain and called for "dialogue and cooperation from all parties," according to a statement carried by China's Xinhua news agency.

After the summit, Modi rode with Putin in the Russian leader's armored limousine on their way to their bilateral meeting. "Talks with him are always insightful," Modi wrote on X.com. At the bilateral meeting, Putin addressed Modi in Russian: "Respected Mr. Prime Minister, dear friend."

But while Modi demonstrated solidarity with Russian and Chinese leaders, Trump said India had offered to cut tariffs on American goods to zero. Calling the US-India relationship “one-sided,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to zero, but it is too late. They should have done that years ago.”

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump's comments, which come after the imposition of total tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods, raising questions about the future of US-India relations.

China and India are the largest buyers of crude oil from Russia, the world's second largest exporter, the British agency reminds.

Little known outside the region, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, headquartered in Beijing, was founded more than two decades ago as a regional security bloc. China, Russia and four Central Asian states are the founding members of the organization. India joined in 2017.

Xi has not outlined any concrete measures in what he called his “Global Governance Initiative,” the latest in a series of policy frameworks by Beijing aimed at promoting Chinese leadership and challenging US-led international organizations that emerged after World War II.

Putin, whose country has forged even closer economic and security ties with China since the start of the war in Ukraine, said the SCO had revived "true multilateralism," with national currencies increasingly being used in mutual settlements.

“This, in turn, lays the political and socio-economic foundations for the formation of a new system of stability and security in Eurasia,” Putin said. “This security system, unlike the Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, would truly take into account the interests of a wide range of countries, would be truly balanced and would not allow one state to work on its security at the expense of others.”

Xi called for the establishment of a new SCO development bank, which would be a major step towards the bloc's long-standing aspiration to develop an alternative payments system that bypasses the US dollar and the power of US sanctions.

Beijing will provide 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in grants to member states this year, as well as an additional 10 billion yuan in loans to the SCO banking consortium.

China will also build an artificial intelligence cooperation center for SCO member countries, which have also been invited to participate in China's lunar research station, Xi added.

Beijing also used the summit as an opportunity to repair ties with New Delhi. Modi, who was visiting China for the first time in seven years, and Xi on Sunday agreed that their countries were development partners, not rivals, and discussed ways to boost trade.

Separately, Xi will lead a major military parade in Beijing tomorrow, which is expected to be attended by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The parade, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, will showcase the latest Chinese military technology in a show of force that analysts say is aimed at intimidating and deterring potential rivals.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry yesterday criticized the declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit for failing to mention Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, according to a statement published on the ministry's website.

"It is surprising that the largest war of aggression in Europe since World War II was not reflected in such an important, fundamental document," the ministry said.