Chinese President Xi Jinping will gather more than 20 world leaders to discuss regional security, in a powerful display of Global South solidarity, helping sanctions-hit Russia secure another diplomatic victory.
Leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia will participate in the summit, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will be his first visit to China in more than seven years.
"Xi will want to use the summit as an opportunity to showcase what a post-American-led international order begins to look like and that all White House efforts since January to counter China, Iran, Russia, and now India have not had the intended effect,"
said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project.
"Just look at how much BRICS has rattled U.S. President Donald Trump, which is precisely what these groups are designed to do."
A Chinese foreign ministry official said that this year's summit will be the largest since the SCO was founded in 2001 and called the bloc an "important force in building a new type of international relations."