Afrasianet - Shaher Al, Shaher - NEW YORK - China has invested $84 billion in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries. The Chinese president also pledged $275 million in grants to SCO countries and 10 billion yuan in loans to member banks over three years.  

The largest summit in the history of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) since its establishment in 2001 was held in the Chinese city of Tianjin, with the participation of more than 20 heads of state and 10 international organizations. One of the most important successes of the summit was the meeting between India and China and the return of flights between the two sides.

Tianjin is a major industrial hub that is experiencing rapid expansion in the production of computers, robotics, and the automotive industry. It achieved an estimated economic growth of 5.8% during the first quarter of this year, reaching  $57.5 billion. The growth of its manufacturing sector also accelerated during the first quarter of this year by 7.8%, supported by equipment manufacturing.

Tianjin has one of the world's busiest ports, connecting China to Eurasian markets via the Belt and Road Initiative, and is China's second-largest port in terms of cargo volume.

The summit saw Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to China in seven years, as the two countries face high trade tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. 

The differences between India and China are significant, and the historical sensitivities between their peoples are deep-rooted. Despite this, the leaders of the two countries have succeeded in finding common points on which to build up, from the deadlock in relations between the world's two most populous countries, from frequent border disputes, to China's support for Pakistan in its recent war with India, to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which India fears, not only because of the economic competition between the two Asian giants, but because it passes through. The historically disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

"Activating India" is a strategy that previous US administrations worked on to confront India, thus getting rid of the Asian rise that has become a concern for the United States of America and the West in general.

The "Indian Corridor" was nothing but an American project launched by President Biden at the G20 summit held on September 10, 2023 in India, with the aim of competing with China's Belt and Road and consolidating Israel's centrality and leadership in the Middle East. 

China is India's second-largest trading partner after the United States, with Chinese exports to India exceeding $128 billion. India is an important market for China, especially since India's middle class is growing as a result of improved economic conditions, which are the consumers of Chinese goods significantly. 

The trade tariffs imposed by Trump on India have reached 50%, due to its purchase of Russian oil, which it cannot do without, as it imports 1750 thousand barrels per day, so that Moscow is the first source of oil that India needs, as it provides it with about 35% of its needs, benefiting from the privileges provided by Moscow in this framework.

China's side-by-side with Pakistan in its recent conflict with India contributed to a swift halt to the war due to the advanced weapons that China has provided to Pakistan, in contrast to the inaction of the United States and Trump's claim that he was the one who stopped the war.

The US president's desire  for India to nominate  him for the Nobel Peace Prize in the same way that Pakistan did was not accepted by Modi, who saw this as not true, and that the United States of America could no longer stand by its allies as China did.

India and China are moving at a steady pace and are making plans to complete nation-building, as India needs China to build the "advanced India" that it aspires to reach in 2047. To achieve this, it needs Chinese technology and minerals to develop its industries.

Beijing's ability to neutralize India contributes to breaking the collar of alliances that Washington seeks to forge around China, especially since India is part of the US-led Quad alliance.

The Summit's Political Messages

At a time when Western systems are fractured under the weight of crises, a bloc is emerging from the East that bears the features of a global alternative. The SCO is no longer a passing regional meeting, but a project of a growing power whose trade with China has exceeded $2.3 trillion. 

Geopolitical developments globally have necessitated the G20 countries to bring more together. Therefore, the gathering in Tianjin sought to convey their political messages and their desire to form a new world order: the mentality of hegemony is no longer acceptable, the countries of the South have the right to make their voices heard, the economy is oriented eastward, and the world is living in the "Asian Horn."

At the heart of the scene, Xi Jinping is not alone making calls to confront the Cold War mentality and bet on artificial intelligence as a new front, but also Vladimir Putin, who is attending the summit as a reminder that Moscow is not out of the power equation. 

China is at the forefront of Asian countries in investing in artificial intelligence, which is the main hub of artificial intelligence among the SCO countries. According to the Staulford Institute for Artificial Intelligence, China invested $9.3 billion in artificial intelligence in 2024, while the U.S. estimates that China invested $98 billion this year alone. 

Kazakhstan was not absent from this summit, and called for training courses and building a bridge for the digital economy between the countries of the organization.

Putin, who is overshadowed by the confrontation with the West, sees the SCO as a platform to reposition and break the Western encirclement through broader Eastern alliances. 

In the background, Trump looms as an economic and political ghost, his tariffs and clashes with the members of the organization make a heavy presence in his absence, especially as he seeks to maintain his monopoly on the rules of the game.

Four issues discussed at the summit, with the leaders focusing on issues of national security, digital transformation, sustainable development, and the geographical expansion of the organization to include new countries.

The summit also discussed the war in Ukraine, international pressure on Iran, and what is happening in the Middle East, which is a vital region for all countries of the world, which is currently witnessing a redrawing of its maps with blood.

More than two dozen visits have been made by the Russian president to China. However, Chinese media have described the visit as "unparalleled."

The summit was keen not to provoke the United States, and that the summit is not directed against anyone, but Trump picked up the message and provoked, and addressed Chinese President Xi, telling him, "I convey my greetings to Putin and the leader of North Korea, they are conspiring against the United States of America."

The policy of dictates by America is no longer desirable by many countries of the world, especially since it has lost the carrot that it can offer to the countries of the world, and it has only the stick that frightens some of the regimes that orbit in the American orbit.

China's development model has become the most astonishing to the world, and China's carrot is officially and popularly accepted. So we have seen China's expansion, as China has become the number one trading partner of more than 150 countries globally.

China has invested $84  billion in the SCO countries. The Chinese president also pledged to provide $275 million in grants to SCO countries and provide loans worth 10 billion yuan to member banks over three years. 

From Economy to Militarization

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaders from more than two dozen countries around the world attended a military parade held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Chinese people's victory over Japanese aggression.

The event was not just a military parade, but an occasion to send a political message that China is now stronger and more capable of preventing any aggression against it.

The Chinese president did not fail to reassure the world and remind that China has never occupied anyone, past and present, and will not be so in the future.

The specific weapons that China has offered are certainly none of what it has, but it has carefully chosen what it wants to show the world, in a message that is definitely aimed at deterrence.

Completing the construction of the Chinese military to be able to fight foreign wars is something that the Chinese president has taken upon himself and has set a timetable for it to end in 2027, on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Chinese Liberation Army.

The presence of the leaders of India, Russia, and Iran was remarkable, and sent messages that these countries are in the same trench to confront American hegemony.

Trump's reaction was swift, but we should expect him to be as foolish as his reaction. There is expected to be an upcoming escalation in Taiwan, as it is an issue that China cannot compromise.

The Chinese president has vowed to solve the Taiwan problem (peace or war), especially since he believes that China's sovereignty is still lacking, and that it will only be completed by restoring Taiwan.

Beijing speaks a calm language, but at the same time it sends painful messages to the United States, in various political, economic, and military spheres.

The idea of "containing China" seems to be a thing of the past, and the language of condescension is what infuriates the Chinese leadership, which always reminds that the era of Western hegemony is over, and that China will not accept a return to the "century of shame" that the Chinese people have sacrificed so much to forget. 

Today, America has only the stick of having 810 American military bases in the countries of the world. China, on the other hand, has the carrot that makes many countries want to cooperate with it.

The world's quest to acquire gold and get rid of the dollar is the biggest evidence of the loss of confidence in the US financial and economic system, and the fear of using the dollar as a weapon against countries wishing to get out of the American cloak.