EP16. Half the World at One Table: China’s SCO Ambition

<p>This week, we take you to Tianjin, where the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit has just concluded. The gathering brought together leaders from across Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East — representing nearly half the world’s population — and delivered eight major outcomes, from launching an SCO Development Bank to setting up new cooperation platforms in green industry, digital economy, and security.</p><p>Far from being just symbolic, these moves signal China’s ambition to position the SCO as a serious platform for global governance outside the Western-led order. They also highlight Tianjin’s comeback as a hub for China’s outward-facing development model.</p><p>At a time when tariffs, trade wars, and geopolitical rivalries dominate headlines, China is offering a different script — building institutions, creating cross-border financing tools, and promoting inclusivity over confrontation. The SCO summit may not have the hard treaties critics demand,...