The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) convened for its 25th summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1, marking the largest gathering of leaders in the organization’s history. The two-day summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders and heads of 10 international organizations, adopted several key documents, including the Tianjin Declaration and a SCO development strategy until 2035. It also gave a green light to four new SCO centers aimed at bolstering regional security, tackling transnational organized crime, enhancing information security, and strengthening anti-drug cooperation. Founded in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has evolved from six founding members, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, into the world’s largest regional organization, boasting a combined economic output of nearly $30 trillion. Azerbaijan and Armenia were invited officially and were presented at the highest level and personally President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The SCO Summit became historical event that could influence on shifting global polarity from tripolar order into multipolar one. In order to consider geopolitical importance of the SCO is possible to exercise policy level analysis research methods and scrutiny the event from global, regional and national level of analysis.

 

Global Level of Policy Analysis:

Starting from global level important notice that the SCO Summit in Tianjin with population of 14 million residents, interesting point outline what key and main global geopolitical inputs reformatting current world or global order. There are the following arguments for the one:

• First time since its 10 years existence, the SCO declares on transformation of the organization into military political alliance with endorsement of new structure in aegis of the SCO – creation of “Universal Center for Combatting with Security Challenges and Threats for the SCO” - a special Agreement was signed up by the SCO member-states on September 1^st, 2025. The Center could be interpreted as preclusion of setting up new security organizational framework with future elaboration military coalition with fostering peacekeeping, peace enforcement and crisis management combat operations in aegis of the not only in Eurasian but also in aegis of the Pacific Rim spaces. The ambitious mission became real with promotion of new geopolitical axis – Beijing-New Delhi-Moscow;
• At the Summit China and Russia have arranged starting two energy security mega-projects – “Siberia Power-2” and “East Union” gas pipeline realization and by doing so has been suspended China-Russia agreement on coal delivery projects. In addition to it, the SCO Summit promotes new geoeconomic direction China-Russia-Mongolia and re-implication of Trans-Siberia Transit Communication Route that could be competitive with “Middle Transit Corridor Route” in a future period. The trend enables to Russia avoids secondary sanction from the Western community due to its military aggression toward Ukraine;
• At the Summit also was signed up a memorandum on creation of SCO Bank Development and Reconstruction, a financial new institution for competing with global ones, like IMF for instance. The SCO BANK will be promoted and supported by China and India. It signifies on new tendency in framework of Global South and confrontation pattern development with Global North;
• The main novelty of the SCO Summit active participation and involvement of India at the highest level. India and China detent arranged at the SCO Summit field indicated on new transformation of incumbent World Order and launching new era with yet unknown consequences. The trend of transformation of World Order was fixed at conceptual document adopted by the SCO Summit leaders and labeled as “The Eurasian Charter”.

 

Regional Level of Policy Analysis:

It is very important to note that the SCO has been expanded till Black Sea Area, with inclusion the South Caucasus region and including the Eastern Europe region. Hence, it means that actually it stretched from Black Sea and traced Indian Ocean and reached up Pacific Ocean. It means with inclusion Armenia and Azerbaijan, despite of depriving of full membership status yet in aegis of the SCO but reserved the status of Observer ones, the SCO holds and controls the whole Eurasian space and according to the classical British geopolitical school maxim: “Who controls the Pivot Area (today Eurasia), controls World Island and who controls World Island, controls the World” 

 

The same maxim become true till nowadays and remains actual considering the turbulent processes of incumbent the World Politics.

 

 

National Level of Policy Analysis:

Having considered above-mentioned is necessary to elaborate concrete nation’s interests, mainly key and important actors participating in SCO activities. Here are four concrete SCO member and observer status holder state position and one non-state member – Georgia and interest reflection summary:

Turkey: It was interesting to demonstrate position of Turkey at the SCO Summit. At the Summit, the Turkish President was seeking to meet with his Turk oriented states and discuss joint geo-economics projects and some interesting mutual initiatives and projects. Moreover Turkish President Erdogan put out in aegis of the SCO Summit promotion of energy security and nuclear strategic projects and by doing so, rising up geoeconomic potential of the SCO, pending on realization of such projects as are – construction of Nuclear Energy Station “Akkuyu”, “Turkish Flow” gas project, etc. On his side, Turkey promotes on its turn develop up more than 10 strategic agreements, some of them corresponds so-called “Common Turk Solidarity” character. Hence, Turkey wants expanding its presence in the Central Asia and widening its ties with Turkic states of the region as well as promotes its interests toward Afghanistan.

Azerbaijan: The expectations from Azerbaijan side are clear and more concentrated on geoeconomic matters and certainly rest on its geopolitical status quo rise in the world politics. The obtaining status-quo of Observer is very crucial for the country but full-membership status is very important that was blocked unfortunately by India with clandestine support of Russia. Second, promoting Turkic Solidarity trend with rest of Central Asian Turkic nations – Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan with activation of Turkey is also very important case for the state. Third expectation is promoting dialogue with China and by doing so, counter-balance with Russia and seeking to get Chinese support on realization of the “Middle Transit Corridor” project issue that is very detrimental to Azerbaijan at the date. The four expectation is associated with promote itself national foreign policy oriental trend rather than western trend and more increase its internal political system that is a bit authoritarian but not so high compare that of Central Asian states.

China: from China perspective, Azerbaijan involvement in SCO area could be helpful promoting China’s “One Belt, One Road” strategic project and Azerbaijan will promote idea of development of energy corridor: Central Asia-South Caucasus and as well as engage in TAPI gas project (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India). Azerbaijan could be China’s strategic ally in moderating so-called “Uyghur” problem from perspective of Turkish Solidarity initiative and promoting and proposing itself as financial hub for Chinese investments in aegis of the Black Sea Regional development. Azerbaijan could also express its interests toward Chinese Military-Industrial Complex and with purchasing Chinese weaponry systems. As it is known China’s cumulative trade with SCO member states surpassed $2.3 trillion. China’s investments in other SCO member states exceed $84 billion, and its annual bilateral trade exceeded $500 billion. These substantial figures stem from a wide array of projects that China has spearheaded under the Belt and Road umbrella, unveiled by Xi in Kazakhstan in 2013. China has also pledged two billion yuan (US$280.1 million) in grants to SCO member states this year, plus an additional 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) in loans to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years. One of the main novelty proposed by the Chinese leadership linked with development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and realize the trend in aegis of the SCO framework, including cybersecurity global initiatives. China proposes design smart city technologies and surveillance systems would raise questions of data security and privacy. The novelty is really corresponding the mission goals of the strategic paper “Strategy of SCO Development up to 2035”. However, the key geostrategic mission of China at the SCO Summit was to foster development its geoeconomic project “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR). Hence, the Chinese strategy in aegis of the SCO could be formulated as follow: the attractiveness of the SCO and its associated initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative underscores a global appetite for a development model that emphasizes connectivity, “win-win” cooperation, and respect for national sovereignty, contrasting with models perceived as prescriptive.

India: first time joined the SCO and expressed full solidarity with goals and missions of the organization made India global power and one of the key global actor status-quo holder nation. India at the stage shifted its pro-Western oriented foreign policy toward Eurasian direction and by its behavior was created new geopolitical alliance: China-India-Russia vs. USA-EU. Moreover, India whilst joined and reinforced its position at SCO level, anyway promoted its position and strong perspective missions at another Global South entity – BRICS. SCO with China and BRICS with India dominance make both organizations as very cohesive and bold mechanisms to destroy West global domination with its G-7 and NATO ones. SCO and BRICS collaboration spark introduction new international currency equal with EURO one from completely changed international financial system and formatting geopolitical world order into geoeconomically oriented bipolar economic world order – “North-South” polarity.

Georgia: regarding Georgia why the country would not be representing at the SCO Summit to note that the Georgian government did not apply for any kind of involvement of the SCO politics as formally still Georgia utters and adheres to the Euro-Atlantic and European foreign policy integration prescribed under the Constitution (Article 78) that formally not been canceled and in force. Despite of willingness of the ruling party “The Georgian Dream” denounce the western foreign policy track and professes pro-Eurasian geopolitical option, including possible membership into the SCO structures, it becomes obsolete dream of the “Georgian Dream” leadership as Georgia still has quite unclear relations with key SCO founding and important power members: India, China and Russia. India even has not officially diplomatic mission in Georgia despite of de-jure and de-facto recognition and Georgia and India have quite restricted political and economic relations. India and Georgia launched a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Feasibility Study in April 2017 and that is all in bilateral interconnections. As for Russia, de-facto more massive interconnections mainly in financial, Direct Investment and trade linkage, Georgia and Russia yet have to install political and diplomatic relations and formally both countries are in enmity relations. Regarding China, whilst having strategic partnership linkage since 2024, China views incumbent Georgian ruling “Georgian Dream” party and its government as less reliable political and geopolitical partner nation. It was demonstrated when the Georgian government officials were not invited to the official Victory Day Celebration ceremony in China when two other South Caucasus actor delegations paid visit. However, China involvement in Georgia is very impressive and quite great. Chinese citizens registered 1,893 companies in Georgia, 4 times more than it was before 2013. In 2024, a record 291 new Chinese companies were registered. FDI from China increased 5 times compared to 2003 - 2012 and amounted to 600 mln USD. At the same time, FDI peaked in 2014 and has declined since. Annual trade turnover with China increased 3 times since 2012 and amounted to 2 bln USD. In 2024, China was Georgia’s fourth-largest trading partner, accounting for 8.2% of Georgia’s overall trade. In 2024, a bilateral visa exemption agreement was signed between the Government of Georgia and the Government of China. As a result, visits to Georgia from China rose sharply by 83% in 2024. The number of visits from China reached 88.6 thousand. There has also been a notable increase in flights from Chinese airlines to Georgia. Many large-scale infrastructure projects in Georgia are being implemented by Chinese companies, including state-owned enterprises. In addition to the Anaklia port project, the Chinese side has expressed interest in developing a new airport in Vaziani, a site formerly used as a military base. According to the Ambassador, numerous Chinese companies have shown interest, and China will continue to monitor and support the project closely. China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), which was awarded the right to build the Anaklia Port by the Georgian Dream can be found in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List. The Department of Treasury also lists the company in the Non-SDN CMIC Lis. Hence, Georgia involvement into the SCO affairs is very minimal and in future it will not be realized.