Xi Jinping Pushes for New Global Order at SCO Summit Alongside Putin and Modi

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Chinese President Xi Jinping used the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on Monday to call for a new global security and economic order that elevates the “Global South” and directly challenges U.S. influence. Joined by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi framed the SCO as a model for “a new type of international relations” capable of reshaping global governance.

Xi’s Vision for a Multipolar World

In his remarks before more than 20 world leaders, Xi said member states should oppose “hegemonism and power politics,” a pointed critique of the United States and President Donald Trump’s tariff-centered trade policies. Xi urged the bloc to embrace “equal and orderly multi-polarization of the world, inclusive economic globalization, and the construction of a more just and equitable global governance system.”

He emphasized that the SCO’s vast “mega-scale market” could serve as the foundation for deeper economic integration in areas such as energy, artificial intelligence, and scientific innovation. To reinforce this vision, Xi pledged 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in free aid for member states, a further 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in SCO bank loans, and renewed his call for establishing a dedicated SCO Development Bank.

Global South Solidarity on Display

The Tianjin gathering included leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Notable attendees were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Putin hailed his “dear friend” Xi as ties between Beijing and Moscow reached “unprecedentedly high” levels. Their unity comes amid Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as both countries seek to present themselves as alternatives to the U.S.-led international order.

Iran’s President Pezeshkian denounced looming UN sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear program as a “double standard,” criticizing Western powers for violating the 2015 nuclear accord. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though not an SCO member, arrived in Beijing during the summit in a move widely interpreted as signaling deeper alignment with China and Russia.

Opposition to the West

Xi’s call to reject “Cold War thinking, bloc confrontation, and bullying” echoed Putin’s proposal for a new Eurasian security system that would replace “outdated Euro-Atlantic models.” Together, their remarks signaled the bloc’s ambition to provide an alternative to the G7 and other Western-led structures.

U.S. officials quickly dismissed the summit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the SCO gathering as “performative” and accused China and India of being “bad actors” for continuing to purchase Russian fossil fuels despite sanctions. Yet a new natural gas agreement signed between Xi and Putin suggested China has no intention of scaling back economic ties with Moscow, even under threat of fresh U.S. tariffs this November.

Why It Matters

Founded in 2001, the SCO has grown into an influential Eurasian bloc that includes economic heavyweights such as China and India. Analysts say Xi is attempting to reposition the organization as the nucleus of a “Sino-centric” order, harnessing the collective weight of the Global South to counterbalance U.S. dominance.

Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, said Xi’s strategy hinges on leveraging the fact that the Global South represents the majority of UN member states and much of the world’s population. “With China being the leader of the Global South, Xi can transform that majority into a platform for reshaping the global order,” Tsang told Newsweek.

He added that Xi’s efforts are gaining momentum in part because “Trump has so discredited the U.S. and the liberal international order, pushing its allies and partners away.”

The Road Ahead

As the SCO summit continues, Beijing has made clear its ambition: to use the bloc’s growing economic clout to build alternative institutions, deepen South-South cooperation, and undermine what Xi describes as an unfair, Western-dominated global system.

Whether this new vision becomes reality will depend on the willingness of nations like India, Iran, and Turkey to align with Beijing and Moscow—and on how the United States responds as tariff wars and geopolitical rivalries intensify in the months ahead.

Prophetic Significance

From a prophetic perspective, the unity displayed between Russia, China, Iran, and other SCO members bears a striking resemblance to the coalition described in Ezekiel 38–39, where nations “from the far north” and “Persia” converge against Israel in the latter days. Analysts of biblical prophecy have long pointed to the alignment of Moscow and Tehran as a precursor to this Gog–Magog confederation, and the recent SCO summit highlights how such alliances are moving from theory to tangible geopolitical structures.

At the same time, Xi’s calls for a Global South order and the deepening ties across Asia and the Middle East recall the “kings of the East” in Revelation 16:12, whose armies cross the Euphrates in the final battles before Christ’s return. With China’s vast military strength, Iran’s foothold in the Euphrates corridor, and Russia’s strategic partnership, the groundwork for these ancient prophecies seems increasingly plausible. For believers, these developments serve as both a reminder of the nearness of God’s promises and a call to watch, pray, and remain steadfast in hope.

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