♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), held in Tianjin, China, from 31 August to 1 September 2025.

♦ The Summit witnessed productive discussions on SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development.

♦ India’s Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Krygyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are participated in this summit.

♦ The SCO began in 1996 as a security bloc, dubbed the “Shanghai Five”.

♦ It was formed by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to settle their border disputes following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

♦ But in June 2001, the group evolved into the SCO, including Uzbekistan, with headquarters in Beijing.

♦ In 2017, the group expanded to include India and Pakistan.

♦ Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024 were also added as full members.

♦ In addition, the organisation has 14 key dialogue partners, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkiye, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

♦ SCO member states account for 43 percent of the world’s population, and 23 percent – or almost a quarter – of the global economy.