SCO reflects the vision of peace and security

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin from Aug 31 to Sept 1 could turn out to be one of the most successful in the organization's history, not least because the world order is changing, with the West rapidly losing its domination of global affairs, even though some Western leaders continue to desperately cling to the illusion of a unipolar world.

Today's world has become irreversibly multipolar. Asia and Eurasia are regaining their rightful place in the emerging new world order. Against this background, four propitious developments have imparted to the SCO Summit extraordinary significance.

First, the end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict seems closer in sight. Not surprisingly, the conflict may not end in ways the Western powers wanted it to: Seeing Russia defeated, militarily and economically, disrupting Moscow's friendly relations with China, weakening China with sanctions and trade restrictions, and subsequently establishing a NATO-style alliance in Asia was the strategic objective of the neo-imperialists. That goal now lies in tatters.

Second, the United States hoped to prop up India, which joined the SCO along with Pakistan in 2017, as a counterweight to China in its "pivot to Asia" strategy. Giving India a prominent place in the Quad, and projecting the four-country strategic grouping as a future "Asian NATO", was part of its plan to check China's rise. Some influential voices in Washington even urged India to quit the SCO and BRICS in return for a favorable treatment from the Western alliance.

But circumstances prompted India to make timely course-correction, mainly because the US administration didn't spare India in its tariff war. The 50 percent US tariffs to punish India for buying Russian oil have taken effect. Tensions have heightened.

Washington even tried to force New Delhi to stop purchasing Russian oil in a bid to drive a wedge between the two traditional partners. But India couldn't oblige the US for energy security reasons.

On its part, China has stood in solidarity with India against the US' tariff war. Xu Feihong, China's ambassador to India, said: "The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on India and even threatened for more. China firmly opposes it. Silence or compromise only emboldens the bully. China will firmly stand with India to uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core."

The thaw in India-China relations is evident from the fact that, after initial ambiguity, New Delhi announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the summit as well as meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines.

Third, China has made adroit diplomatic moves in the run-up to the summit to ensure all SCO member states are properly aligned to make the meeting a success. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made fruitful visits to New Delhi, Islamabad and Kabul. As a result, the shadow of the India-Pakistan clash in May is unlikely to fall on the deliberations and outcomes of the summit.

If China's efforts bring about a reconciliation between Pakistan and Afghanistan (which has observer status in the SCO), it will succeed in further promoting "mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness" in the region.

And fourth, Wang's visits to three South Asian capitals have raised hopes about the future. In Islamabad, he said the 21st century should be an era of accelerated development and revitalization for Asia, especially South Asia. The fact that China has openly associated itself with the "rise of a new and harmonious South Asia" opens up new possibilities. One of the possibilities is a move toward the resolution of the border disputes between India and China. At the meeting between Wang and Ajit Doval, India's national security adviser, in New Delhi, the two sides agreed to establish an experts' group for exploring "early harvest" solutions in boundary delimitation.

By focusing on solving problems, China's foreign policy fosters result-oriented dialogue among all stakeholders. It is this focus that will likely make the Summit in Tianjin a grand success, following the highly productive BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July, which was in stark contrast to the disarray in the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada, in June.

The Western alliance is unable to hold together. Washington has been bullying not only countries it considers unfriendly but also its allies. It's time the US realized that the world has changed. Non-Western countries will no longer be bullied.

More than two decades ago, the founding members of the SCO demonstrated their prescience in foreseeing a brighter future for the Global South and using their wisdom to prepare a charter that clearly states its goal: development of multifaceted cooperation to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, and promote a new democratic, fair and rational political and economic international order.

In Tianjin, the SCO leaders will surely give this goal a big push.

The author served as an aide to India's former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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