HOW CAN SRI LANKA FACE SCO'S EMERGING GEOPOLITICAL ORDER?

Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in north China’s port city of Tianjin, the leaders of the most populous and powerful countries in the Global South met.

- By Kelum Bandara

A photo which shows Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian Vladimir Putin together went viral because of its symbolic weight. It sends a powerful message about the alignment of powers in the south when their interests merge against the west. They stood like old friends in a jovial mood.

The three most powerful non-western leaders stood shoulder to shoulder in this fashion sending a powerful message to the entire world; that they won’t bow down to the western pressure.

International relations take shape under the circumstances which are evolving by the day. The SCO summit and the leaders’ meeting that preceded it took place in the wake of reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

India, a key contributor to the global economy, was hit with an oppressive tariff rate of 50 percent. It was a punitive rate imposed because it refused to stop purchasing Russian oil.

India and China sought to ease tension and improve relations at this meeting. Thawing of relations between India and China was unimaginable before because of border tension and standoffs since 2020.

For Sri Lankans, what they have mostly seen over the years is the tension between China and India playing out in the region. New Delhi continues to view with unease any deepening Chinese footprint here, citing national security concerns. The latest example is its strong opposition to Chinese maritime research vessels entering Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone — a development India perceives as having clear security implications.

In the aftermath of the hostile military standoff in 2020, anti-China sentiment ran rampant in India, with hundreds of Chinese apps — including TikTok — banned and Chinese companies were prevented from investing in India.