Xi Jinping Set to Showcase China’s Global Ambitions at Landmark SCO plus Summit in Tianjin

On August 31, the next SCO plus Summit will open in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, running through September 1. Judging by the extensive list of attendees, China under President Xi Jinping appears poised to challenge the United States for influence over the global geopolitical agenda.

As part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathering, Xi will host a formal banquet for the attending heads of state, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He will also chair the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State and preside over the expanded SCO Plus session — the largest since the organization’s founding — where he is expected to deliver a keynote address outlining China’s vision for the evolving world order.

Hints of the address’s themes emerge from the diverse lineup of leaders set to attend. At a Beijing press conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Bin confirmed participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Joining them will be several leaders from non-member states, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, whose participation signals Ashgabat’s growing interest in regional dialogue.

The prime ministers of Armenia (Nikol Pashinyan), Cambodia (Hun Manet), Nepal (Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli), Egypt (Mostafa Madbouly), Malaysia (Anwar Ibrahim), and Vietnam (Pham Minh Chinh) will also be in attendance.

In addition, the summit will host several international institutional leaders, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, CSTO Secretary-General Imangali Tasmagambetov, EAEU Chairman Bakytzhan Sagintayev, and AIIB President Zhou Ji.

Kazakhstan will enjoy notable representation. Alongside President Tokayev, three Kazakh figures — Yermekbayev, Tasmagambetov, and Sagintayev — will participate as heads of major international organizations. Their collective presence underscores Astana’s rising diplomatic profile and reflects Tokayev’s strategic outreach, supported by his experience as a former UN Deputy Secretary-General, which has fostered a close rapport with Guterres.

The summit’s dynamics will also attract scrutiny due to the attendance of Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders — central figures in the ongoing South Caucasus realignment. Both Baku and Yerevan have drifted from Moscow’s orbit, strengthening ties with Turkey and the United States. The recent peace deal between Aliyev and Pashinyan, signed in the presence of President Trump, symbolized Washington’s expanding role and Russia’s diminishing clout in the region.

While Moscow appears resigned to this shift, Tehran views it with alarm, particularly after its recent 12-day confrontation with Israel. Russia’s silence toward the Western overtures of Baku and Yerevan suggests a growing strategic detachment, if not outright withdrawal, from the region.

Beijing, meanwhile, is acutely aware of these geopolitical crosscurrents. Xi’s choice of Tianjin for such a complex and potentially divisive summit reflects his ambition to position China as a central node in a multipolar world.

The location itself carries deep symbolism. Once part of a prehistoric ocean bed, Tianjin is now China’s third-largest urban hub, whose rise began under the Ming dynasty as a vital gateway to Beijing. Today, its blend of ancient temples and ultramodern architecture mirrors China’s aspirations — to bridge tradition and technological progress while asserting itself on the global stage.

Against this evocative backdrop, Xi Jinping is expected to stage a high-level diplomatic performance, aiming to seize the initiative in shaping the future global balance of power.

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