Xi, Modi, Putin Head to Bishkek for High-Stakes SCO Summit
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — WEB DESK: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among a powerful group of regional leaders gathering in Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, putting some of Eurasia’s most consequential diplomatic relationships under the spotlight.
The SCO Council of Heads of State meeting is scheduled for September 1, with summit-related engagements taking place around August 31 and September 1. The gathering also marks the organisation’s 25th anniversary.
The summit comes at a particularly sensitive moment: China and India are cautiously rebuilding ties after years of border tensions; Russia remains engaged in the Ukraine war; Iran faces mounting US pressure; Afghanistan continues to pose regional security concerns; and relations between India and Pakistan remain strained.
Xi-Modi Interaction Will Be Closely Watched
One of the most important diplomatic signals in Bishkek could come from any interaction between Xi and Modi.
China and India have been gradually attempting to stabilise their relationship following the deadly 2020 border clashes and the prolonged military standoff that followed.
Senior Chinese and Indian officials held another round of boundary talks in Beijing on August 25, agreeing to continue searching for a mutually acceptable settlement while maintaining peace and stability along their disputed frontier.
The two countries share a disputed Himalayan border stretching thousands of kilometres, and the issue remains a central obstacle to a broader normalisation of relations.
The Bishkek gathering will therefore provide an opportunity to assess whether the recent diplomatic thaw can translate into deeper political engagement.
The importance of the encounter is heightened by expectations that Xi could travel to India shortly afterwards for the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. Reuters reported this week that such a trip would be Xi’s first visit to India in seven years, although final details were still pending.
Modi-Putin Meeting Confirmed
Unlike a possible Xi-Modi bilateral meeting, a formal meeting between Modi and Putin has been confirmed.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the SCO summit and review the broader India-Russia relationship.
Trade is expected to feature prominently.
India-Russia bilateral trade increased from about $13 billion in 2021 to $60 billion in 2025, but India’s trade deficit with Russia expanded to more than $50 billion, making the imbalance an important issue for New Delhi.
Energy, fertilisers, payment mechanisms, market access and the two countries’ goal of increasing bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030 are among the issues surrounding their economic relationship.
Modi will travel to Bishkek after visiting Uzbekistan on August 29-30.
Shehbaz Sharif to Represent Pakistan
Pakistan will also have a major stake in the summit.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Bishkek to participate in the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, Pakistan’s Foreign Office officially confirmed on August 27.
His presence means Shehbaz and Modi will be at the same multilateral gathering amid continuing tensions between Pakistan and India.
However, there is currently no confirmed announcement of a bilateral Shehbaz-Modi meeting, so their attendance at the same summit should not be interpreted as evidence that direct talks will take place.
Pakistan’s participation carries additional importance because Islamabad is set to assume the SCO chairmanship for 2026-27 after the Bishkek summit.
Pakistan will then host the next SCO Council of Heads of State summit in Islamabad in 2027.
Iran and Middle East Tensions on Agenda
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected in Bishkek as Tehran faces heightened economic pressure from Washington.
According to the Tribune report, Pezeshkian is expected to meet Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
Iran’s participation gives the meeting particular significance given the SCO’s growing involvement in discussions over Middle Eastern instability.
SCO foreign ministers have called for political and diplomatic solutions to international conflicts and expressed concern about instability surrounding Iran and the broader Middle East.
Afghanistan, Terrorism and Ukraine
Regional security will remain central to the SCO agenda.
Afghanistan is expected to feature prominently because of concerns among member states over terrorism, cross-border security and narcotics trafficking.
Counterterrorism has been one of the SCO’s core functions since its early years, including through its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
The Ukraine war is also expected to feature in leaders’ discussions, although there has been no indication that it will be treated as a standalone summit agenda item.
Trade and Eurasian Connectivity
The summit will not be limited to geopolitical disputes.
Economic connectivity, transport corridors and efforts to expand trade across Eurasia will also be important.
One project linking several SCO economies is the approximately 7,200-kilometre International North-South Transport Corridor, connecting Russia with India through Iran and the Persian Gulf region.
Member states are also discussing a proposed SCO Development Bank, although negotiations over its structure and operating arrangements remain ongoing.
These initiatives reflect a wider effort to improve transport and commercial connectivity across an organisation whose members collectively represent around 3.4 billion people.
What Is the SCO?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation developed from the Shanghai Five, established in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Uzbekistan joined when the SCO was formally established in 2001.
The organisation subsequently expanded significantly. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
It now has 10 full members: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
Importantly, the SCO is not a military alliance comparable to NATO, nor is it an integrated economic union such as the European Union. Its consensus-based structure primarily provides a platform for security cooperation, economic engagement and diplomacy.
Pakistan to Take Over SCO Chairmanship
The Bishkek summit is expected to conclude with a Bishkek Declaration marking the SCO’s 25th anniversary, alongside other documents covering the organisation’s development and regional and international issues.
The gathering will also mark a leadership transition.
Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship will conclude, and Pakistan will assume the SCO chairmanship for one year, culminating in the 2027 leaders’ summit in Islamabad. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has independently confirmed both the upcoming chairmanship and plans to host the 2027 summit.
With Xi, Modi, Putin, Shehbaz and Pezeshkian expected in Bishkek, attention will extend well beyond the summit’s formal declarations.
The most consequential developments may instead emerge from bilateral meetings, informal encounters and signs of whether some of Eurasia’s most difficult relationships are moving towards dialogue — or deeper rivalry.
