Chinese President Xi Jinping denounces Cold War mentality
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged regional leaders to oppose Cold War mentality at a gathering of a security bloc that Beijing has touted as an alternative to the Western-led international order.
In a speech to attendees of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Monday, Xi said the member states are facing increasingly complicated security and development challenges as the world becomes chaotic and intertwined.
He urged leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to adhere to fairness and justice and work together to oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour.
The remarks, coming against the backdrop of escalating tariff wars and geopolitical rifts, signal Beijing’s intent to position the SCO as a counterweight to Western-led blocs.
Xi highlighted that the SCO now represents the world’s largest regional grouping, covering 26 countries with cooperation across more than 50 areas. Collectively, member economies are nearing a combined output of USD 30 trillion.
Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day, Xi said, while pointing out that China’s investment in SCO countries has already surpassed USD 84 billion.
He proposed the establishment of an SCO Development Bank and a new security center to address regional challenges, arguing that these institutions would give the grouping more weight in shaping global rules.
The Chinese leader credited the SCO with breaking new ground in multilateralism since its creation.
We were the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in our border areas, turning our extensive borders into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation, Xi said.
He added that the bloc pioneered joint actions against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, launched Belt and Road cooperation, and concluded a treaty on long-term good-neighborliness and friendship.
According to Xi, these steps reflected a shared vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit.
Calling SCO states ‘friends and partners, Xi urged leaders to respect differences, build consensus, and strengthen solidarity.
SCO member states need to enhance mutual understanding and friendship through people-to-people exchanges, firmly support one another in economic cooperation, and jointly cultivate a garden of civilizations in which all cultures flourish in prosperity and harmony through mutual enlightenment, he said.
He called for leveraging the mega-sized markets and economic complementarity within the SCO to expand trade and investment, and pursue mutual benefit and win-win results.
On the security front, Xi urged members to operationalise the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Threats and Challenges and the SCO Anti-drug Center without delay.
Xi’s remarks came as China navigates a tense standoff with the United States. Despite a partial deal, trade hostilities with Washington remain unresolved.
