The two-day event, held from August 31 to September 1, 2025, takes place amid unprecedented geopolitical tensions between East and West. With several Asian countries and Russia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization now represents 42% of the world’s population, as well as one-fifth of global oil reserves and 45% of global natural gas reserves. The participation of Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, sends a clear signal to Trump, who imposed harsh tariffs on India.

This summit gains special significance due to Modi’s participation, marking his first visit to Chinese soil in seven years. His attendance is seen as a clear message to the United States under Donald Trump, after the US doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%.

This step indicates that all White House efforts to contain China, Iran, Russia, and now India, have not achieved the desired results.

Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit reflects a clear deterioration and cooling of relations with Washington. According to a report published by an Indian newspaper loyal to Modi’s party, the Indian Prime Minister announced his participation on August 6, the same day Trump imposed an unfair increase in tariffs on Indian goods. Besides Modi and 19 other heads of state and government, representatives of ten international organizations are also attending the summit.

Thus, Trump inadvertently contributed to improving relations between China and India after years of estrangement and mutual insults. In 2020, deadly clashes erupted on the border between India and China in the Himalayas, resulting in the deaths of twenty Indian soldiers and 43 Chinese soldiers. The two countries only reached an agreement in October 2024 aimed at preventing such clashes on the disputed border.

According to some sources, India relies on China for 80% of its electronic components, 70% of its chemical raw materials, and 90% of rare earth metals consisting of 17 chemical elements such as terbium, neodymium, holmium, thulium, lanthanum, scandium, etc. Despite the economic ties between the two countries, optimism about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held this year in Tianjin should be tempered. To this day, both countries maintain between 50,000 and 60,000 troops stationed on the shared border.

Besides Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be one of the prominent guests at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin. The strategic partnership between China and Russia has strengthened since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia and China see themselves threatened by economic and monetary dominance from the United States and the US dollar. Their common goal today is to eliminate their reliance on the US dollar in trade and establish alternative payment systems to protect themselves from Western sanctions. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization also aims to be a platform for implementing infrastructure projects. Examples include the railway line between China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and natural gas and oil pipelines linking China to Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Russia.

Therefore, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin could become a turning point in the global balance of power. While Trump tries to sharpen traditional alliances with his policies and moves, China, Russia, and India seize the opportunity to present their vision of a multipolar world order, now called the “Global South.” The symbolism of the new partnerships against Trump and the West does not end on September 1 with the conclusion of the summit. On September 3, Putin, Modi, and Xi will meet again, likely accompanied by honored guests in the Chinese capital, Beijing, where a massive military parade will be held to commemorate the end of World War II and victory over Japan.

For this reason, the Japanese government has called on European and Asian countries not to participate in the commemorative events held in Beijing to mark the end of World War II. Diplomatic sources confirmed that Japan seeks to prevent the spread of what it considers a unilateral and distorted interpretation of modern history. China has long regarded this day as a victory in the “War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression” and part of the “World War against Fascism.” For Japan, these terms reflect China’s explicit hostility, using inappropriate expressions and blaming only one side.

Therefore, the Japanese government asks friendly countries to refrain from using these harsh terms and not to adopt these anti-Japan narratives. Most Western countries refused to participate in the last military parade in 2015. Despite all these conflicts and diplomatic maneuvers, Japan remains a major investor in China, and the Japanese language tops the list of popular and widely taught foreign languages in all Chinese universities. Japanese goods also enjoy great demand, including cars, clothing, food, beverages, household supplies, electrical and electronic equipment, nuclear reactors, optical and medical equipment, plastics, etc. Often, the will of the people does not reflect the government policies of a country. As Newton once said: “Humans build many walls and few bridges,” as recently seen in the royal speech that extended a hand again to neighboring Algeria.