Central Asian Leaders Urge Solidarity at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The 24th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit has concluded in Kazakhstan with a series of declaration, partnerships and one new member to the group.
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00:00An armed escort for Chinese President Xi Jinping as he leaves Kazakhstan, marking the conclusion
00:08of the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in the country's capital.
00:14It's a political, economic and security organization with 10 members.
00:19China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and the latest
00:29addition Belarus.
00:31Together they represent 40% of the global population and about 32% of the world's GDP.
00:39During the two days, leaders discussed Iran's future president, trade relations, terrorism,
00:45the war in Gaza and other regional issues.
00:49But there were also tensions among members, something Xi warned against, calling it a
00:54Cold War mentality as he stressed cooperation.
01:20The forum also provided an opportunity for meetings on the sidelines.
01:25Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi met for the second time since May, placing a greater
01:31emphasis on strengthening their countries' friendship as Russia's relations with the
01:35West deteriorate over the war in Ukraine.
01:55Also in attendance were United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President and
02:03NATO member Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
02:06But notably absent was India's recently re-elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who sent a
02:12minister in his place.
02:14Modi's non-presence suggests that there are some cleavages and fractures within the SCO.
02:20Although Moscow and Beijing seem to be extending their position in Central Asia, the momentum
02:27is somewhat interesting because it tends to be a consolidation among states that are either
02:36authoritarian or who have leaders with more authoritarian-type tendencies.
02:40By the end of the two-day summit, leaders announced new trade and security deals as
02:46a sign of increased cooperation in the region.
02:49But for the global community, a much deeper message.
02:53With new members added every year, the group's legitimacy and influence is growing and could
02:58push the balance of global power in their favor.
03:02Dolphine Chen and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.