As the curtain falls for the high-stake 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Summit held at Tianjin, China, the key takeaways of the Summit are much beyond symbolism. The SCO member-nations resolved to carve a multilateral and balanced world order and reiterated their commitment to foresee a strong Eurasian landscape, while ensuring regional peace, security and prosperity.
Tianjin Declaration ‘strongly condemns’ Pahalgam terror attack
From the perspective of New Delhi, the Summit is deemed as a pivotal diplomatic win, as the Tianjin Joint Declaration that the leaders’ inked, ‘strongly condemned’ the Pahalgam terror attack and the SCO member-nations outrightly criticized the usage of extremist and terrorist networks for mercenary purposes. The backing by the Asian giants to collectively counter the perpetrators, supporters and sponsors of terrorism and keep them accountable, is a major thrust in New Delhi’s counter-terrorism efforts its resolve to sanction the terror outfits in multilateral and global platforms.
The declaration condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and its supporters, despite Pakistan being a member of SCO is indeed a landmark move and for India, thus the 25th SCO Summit stands beyond symbolism and it also reflects India’s diplomatic potential, bold and firm geopolitical moves in the path of upholding India’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
PM Modi’s bold and direct message on terrorism
While addressing the SCO Summit, Prime Minister Modi took a sharp jibe at the terror atrocities. He said that the Pahalgam attack was not just a blow to India, but it was an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity. PM Modi also exclaimed that SCO must clearly and unanimously reject “double standards” on terrorism. Prime Minister also questioned the summit by asserting, “Can the open support of terrorism by some countries be acceptable to us?”.
PM Modi highlighted how terrorism, extremism and separatism are impediments in the path of seeking security and development of any country. He also spoke about the role of SCO-RATS, the regional anti-terror wing of SCO, in the path of countering the terror menace.
#WATCH | "We have to say clearly and unanimously that no double standards are acceptable on terrorism…" says Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Members Session in Tianjin, China
PM Modi says, "… This attack was an open challenge to every… https://t.co/n9LlMc91Kq pic.twitter.com/UtlvwlHo5B
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025
Connectivity should not breach sovereignty
Prime Minister in a bold statement also exemplified the fact that global connectivity projects should not be at the cost of national sovereignty. “Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty losses both trust and meaning”, PM Modi asserted.
Prime Minister’s statements comes as a sharp jibe against the unilateral infrastructure projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) under the umbrella Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)of China. Apparently CPEC passes through POJK, thus illegally intruding into the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
#WATCH | "…Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty loses trust and meaning…" says Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Members Session in Tianjin, China
PM Modi says, "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade… pic.twitter.com/JcDA9p1lDl
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025
PM Modi’s vision and conceptualization of SCO
PM Modi while addressing the SCO Summit gave a new vision and conceptualization for the grouping that aids to foster the security and solidarity of the Eurasian landscape. He said that SCO is guided by three pillars namely, security, connectivity and opportunity.
- S-Security of the Region
PM Modi affirmed that security, peace and stability of the SCO region are vital for the growth, peace and prosperity of the region.
- C-Revolutionizing SCO as a ‘connectivity’ hub
PM Modi highlighted India’s efforts in securing the credible connectivity of the Eurasian landscape. He proposed to use the Chabahar port in Iran as a reliable and respectful regional corridor in alternate to Pakistan’s Gwadar port(without directly naming it). He named the Chabahar port as “accessible, reliable and efficient gateway”. He also highlighted the importance of the International North-South Transport Corridor(INSTC) championed by India, in connecting Eurasia from Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia.
- O-Nourishing mutual Opportunities
In realizing the mutual opportunities, PM Modi also pitched the idea for crafting an SCO Civilizational Dialogue Forum, to mutually nurture and share the ancient civilizational ethos, art, literature and tradition of each other countries. “Start-ups, innovation, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage were new areas which India incorporated. Our effort was to expand SCO’s ambit outside governments,” PM Modi said.
He affirmed that SCO should move beyond government and aid in connecting common people, young scientists, scholars and start-ups of the respective countries. He asserted that every challenge should be turned into an ‘opportunity’ in a united and coordinated fashion.
#WATCH | Tianjin, China | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "…India has played a very positive role as a member of the SCO. India's vision and policy for the SCO is based on three important pillars. S – Security, C- Connectivity and O – Opportunity"
(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/F88uzct04D
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025
Ultimately, SCO should counter the out-dated global frameworks and work for the aspirations of the Global South and champion to script an inclusive, multilateral world order, PM Modi added.
These strong and solid strategic messaging by PM Modi upholds the principle of collective regional security, balanced world order, mutual cooperation and growth, however, there is no space for illegal encirclement, double-standards and bullying behaviour. No cooperation comes at the cost of India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and strategic autonomy.
Meanwhile, the Modi-Xi bilateral meeting witnessed on the sidelines of the SCO summit, paves way for greater Sino-India cooperation and helps for the restoration of normalcy in relations. However, it is yet a long-drawn geopolitical challenge to seek a comprehensive course-correction in New Delhi-Moscow ties. It takes years ahead to bridge the trust deficit and ofcourse India is taking a cautious, calibrated and calculated approach towards Beijing. The latest bilateral talks can be deemed as another major chapter in Sino-India ties, but not as a conclusion of the old story.
However, the Modi-Putin bonhomie witnessed during the SCO Summit, truly irks the Trump administration. From carpooling to resolving to bolster the much privileged India-Russia strategic partnership in the domain of trade, defence, energy security and beyond , PM Modi and President Putin, has set an example for how time-tested friendship outlasts, despite geopolitical bullying and irrational compulsions. SCO Summit has yet again reiterated the fact that New Delhi-Moscow ties is indeed rooted in strategic autonomy, mutual benefit and an attempt to restore the balance of power, no matter what irrelevant path the world takes for the sake of short-term benefits.
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