The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit took place in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1, 2025 the largest in the bloc’s history. India, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joined key leaders, including Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, to promote a multipolar world and shared governance principles.

Twenty-four new documents were approved, including a Tianjin Declaration and SCO Development Strategy until 2035. India’s proposals stood out: PM Modi suggested establishing a Civilisation Dialogue Forum to enhance people-to-people connections, sharing rich cultural legacies across SCO nations.

China surfaced its much-anticipated Global Governance Initiative (GGI), aiming to reshape global governance toward fairness and inclusivity, especially for the Global South. Simultaneously, the SCO agreed to launch a Development Bank, granting the bloc financial leverage independent of Western systems.

India also emphasized counter-terrorism cooperation by securing explicit condemnation of recent attacks including the devastating Pahalgam incident reflecting its firm stance on security threats.