SA’s absence from SCO summit a ‘political miscalculation’

THE RECENTLY concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit of 2025 was a significant milestone in the realignment of global geopolitics.

- DR RENEVA FOURIE

For the first time in decades, global South powers rallied together at the largest summit in the history of the SCO to articulate a shared vision for a multipolar world. The summit affirmed that international law, multilateralism and multipolarity are the very instruments through which the global South can defend its sovereignty, achieve development and secure a fairer international order.

Chinese President Xi Jinping captured the moment in his opening speech when he warned that the shadows of Cold War mentality and bullying have not dissipated. He observed that the world has entered a new phase of turbulence, with global governance now at a crossroads.

Xi’s call for joint efforts to build a more just and balanced framework for global governance reflected the urgency of our times. In the face of a weakening EU and a US determined to revive hegemony while simultaneously enabling Israel's atrocities in West Asia, the South has no choice but to build alternatives. The SCO Summit demonstrated that this is not only possible but already under way.

The symbolism of the summit was striking. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Chinese soil for the first time in seven years. Together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the three core leaders of BRICS were photographed holding hands and sharing a warm laugh. This image, broadcast globally, communicated more than friendship.

It signalled the determination of key powers of the South to close ranks at a time when the US is exerting pressure and attempting to fragment them. The contrast could not be sharper. While Washington imposes sanctions and tariffs and dictates terms to partners, the SCO leaders spoke of cooperation, development and mutual respect.