SCO Sets Stage for Stronger Relations

Message of defiance to the US; Modi invites members to invest

- Dhirendra Kumar

India leveraged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to reset its ties with China and strengthen its partnership with Russia, recalibrating its foreign policy at a time when tariff wars are reshaping global dynamics. The two-day gathering of 10 national leaders in China's Tianjin also sent a message of defiance to the US, which has skewered India over its relations with the two countries.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited SCO leaders in Tianjin to invest in India's startups and initiatives to promote shared cultural heritage. Supporting entrepreneurship and innovation could boost trade and economic cooperation in the region, Modi stated, in his first visit to the northern neighbour in seven years.

Even though security was the main focus, the summit also addressed global trade tensions. The Tianjin Declaration criticized US tariffs, calling "unilateral coercive measures, including economic ones," a violation of UN and WTO rules.