The 24th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, attended by
Presidents Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi, concluded onSeptember 1 in Tianjin, China. The final declaration reaffirmed the goal
of building a more "fair and multilateral" system of global governance,
countering US hegemony and Euro-Atlantic security structures. The
summit, originally conceived as a Central Asian platform for
cooperation, confirmed the growing understanding between emerging powers
in the economic, technological, and military spheres. However, the
decision not to mention the conflict in Ukraine signals that the
participating governments' priority is primarily to consolidate their
political space and strengthen their respective spheres of influence.
New Economic and Financial Framework
Following the model of the BRICS New Development Bank, the members
decided to create a SCO Development Bank, intended to finance economic,
infrastructure, and social projects in the ten member countries. Putin
also proposed issuing common bonds and creating a multilateral payments
system, with the aim of reducing dependence on the dollar and
strengthening intra-SCO economic integration. Critically, this
represents another step in the competition between powers, where
alternative financial instruments do not challenge the underlying
capitalist logic, but simply shift the center of gravity toward new
centers of command.
Cooperation on AI, space, and cybersecurity
An agreement was signed in Tianjin to deepen cooperation in the
development of artificial intelligence. Modi insisted on the need to
ensure equal access to new technologies, while Xi invited members to
participate in China's lunar research program and proposed a joint AI
cooperation center. In parallel, the SCO states agreed to strengthen
joint measures against terrorism, cybersecurity, and intelligence
sharing. Behind the lexicon of "cooperation," there is a clear push
toward more refined forms of social control and repression of dissent,
in line with the growing centrality of digital surveillance in the
authoritarian and semi-authoritarian systems that comprise the organization.
The SCO 2035 Project
The summit approved a development document with a horizon of 2035. The
status of observer countries and "dialogue partners" was also unified:
Laos is the first to receive this new designation. At the same time, the
SCO obtained observer status in the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS).
SCO, BRICS, and Russian Centrality
Despite its 24-year history, the SCO today appears less influential than
the BRICS and especially the expanded BRICS+ format, which has garnered
greater international visibility. However, the Tianjin conference marked
a rapprochement between China and India and Russia. For the Kremlin,
this is a significant political achievement, fueling the rhetoric of
"alternative multilateralism."
But despite the official narratives, the fundamental fact remains: both
the West and the "alternative" blocs continue to operate within the same
logic of imperialist competition, the pursuit of areas of influence, and
the strengthening of military and repressive apparatuses. For those who
observe from below, there is no new, equitable world order on the
horizon, but rather the perpetuation of state logics that oppress people.
Totò Caggese
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in 2001 as an
evolution of the "Shanghai Group," initially composed of China, Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is an international
organization founded in 1991 after the dissolution of the USSR.
The BRICS group was founded in 2009, bringing together Brazil, Russia,
India, China, and South Africa. Since 2023, it has expanded to BRICS+.
https://umanitanova.org/un-nuovo-multilateralismo-la-sco-e-il-vertice-di-tianjin/
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