The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, 2025. President Xi Jinping will chair the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States and the “SCO Plus” Meeting, where he will deliver a keynote speech. During the summit, President Xi will also host a welcome banquet and bilateral activities for the attending leaders.

It is widely anticipated that the SCO Tianjin Summit, as one of China’s most important head-of-state diplomatic and host-country diplomatic events this year, will be a friendly, united, and fruitful gathering. It is expected to propel the SCO into a new phase of high-quality development characterized by greater unity, enhanced collaboration, more vitality, and increased effectiveness, setting a new milestone in the organization’s history.

The Largest SCO Summit Since Its Inception

During the Tianjin Summit, President Xi Jinping will join more than 20 foreign leaders and heads of 10 international organizations by the Haihe River to review the SCO’s successful experiences, outline its development blueprint, consolidate cooperation consensus within the “SCO family,” and advance the organization toward the goal of building a closer community with a shared future.

Tianjin will welcome distinguished guests from all directions, including leaders of SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners; leaders of relevant countries attending as guests of the chair country; and heads of international organizations and multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, CIS, ASEAN, CICA, and AIIB.

“This is the fifth time China has hosted an SCO summit and the largest since the organization was founded,” stated on August 22.

A drone photo taken on August 1, 2025, shows the night view on both sides of the Haihe River in Tianjin.

It has been noted that the scale of the Tianjin Summit exceeds that of all previous ones, fully demonstrating the support for China’s chairmanship and reflecting the SCO’s expanding influence, appeal, and attractiveness on the international stage.

Over the 24 years since its establishment, guided by the “Shanghai Spirit” — which emphasizes mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development — the SCO has grown from six founding member states to an “SCO family” covering 26 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa, making it the regional international organization with the largest territorial coverage and population in the world today.

President Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out that practice has shown the “Shanghai Spirit” is the lifeblood of the SCO’s growth and development, and it must be upheld as a fundamental guideline in the long term.

There is deep agreement with this view: “The principles and values upheld by the SCO, such as the ‘Shanghai Spirit,’ have attracted many countries and are an important source of the organization’s continuous growth and expansion.”

“The ‘Shanghai Spirit,’ which transcends outdated concepts such as the clash of civilizations, Cold War mentality, and zero-sum game, is the ‘root’ and ‘soul’ of the SCO,” it was stated. In the context of the current era, the “Shanghai Spirit,” born at the turn of the century, is not outdated but instead becomes more relevant, demonstrating increasingly vigorous vitality.

At the Tianjin Summit, President Xi will elaborate on China’s new ideas and propositions for the SCO to promote the “Shanghai Spirit,” shoulder the mission of the times, and respond to the expectations of the people.

It was expressed that in the face of a rapidly changing international situation, SCO countries will continue to uphold the “Shanghai Spirit” through concrete actions, providing “SCO solutions” for building a just and reasonable global governance system and making “SCO contributions” to the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Promoting the SCO’s Entry into a New Phase of High-Quality Development

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization must identify the direction, strengthen confidence, act efficiently, and achieve more to inject more stability and positive energy into the world,” emphasized President Xi Jinping in July when collectively meeting the heads of delegations from the SCO Foreign Ministers Council Meeting.

The Tianjin Declaration, the SCO Development Strategy for the Next Decade, and a series

Haihe River

The Haihe River is a major waterway in northern China, historically formed through centuries of hydraulic engineering to control flooding and improve transportation. It flows through Tianjin and into the Bohai Sea, serving as a vital economic and cultural artery for the region since ancient times.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance originally formed in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian states, evolving from a 1990s-era agreement on border security. Its primary objectives are to promote cooperation on security issues, combat terrorism, and enhance economic and cultural collaboration among its member states.

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after World War II to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations. It was established by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress. Today, with 193 member states, it addresses global issues including humanitarian aid, climate change, and human rights from its headquarters in New York City.

CIS

“CIS” most commonly refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with its founding members being Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The organization was established to facilitate cooperation in political, economic, environmental, and other domains among post-Soviet states.

ASEAN

ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union established in 1967 to promote regional stability and economic growth among its member states. It was founded by five countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand—and has since expanded to include ten members across Southeast Asia. Today, it is a major regional bloc that fosters cooperation in economic, political, security, and socio-cultural areas.

CICA

I am unable to identify a specific, widely recognized cultural or historical site known as “CICA.” This acronym could refer to several different organizations or places, such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (an international forum) or the Center for International Contemporary Art. For a proper summary, please provide the full name or more specific details.

AIIB

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank founded in 2016 and headquartered in Beijing, China. It was established to finance infrastructure projects that promote sustainable economic development across Asia. Its creation was initiated by China to address the vast need for infrastructure investment in the region.

Shanghai Spirit

“Shanghai Spirit” refers to the core principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, and consultation established by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its founding summit in Shanghai in 2001. It represents a model for a new type of international relations, promoting peace and shared development among member states. This concept has since become the guiding philosophy for the organization’s cooperation on security, economic, and cultural issues.