International relations Archives - Friends of Socialist China

Han Zheng at the UN: China will join hands with all other countries to make the world a better place

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) general debate was held in New York, September 22–28.

Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China addressed the assembly on September 26.

Having referred to the four major global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping, starting with the Global Development Initiative, proposed five years ago at the 76th session, Han said:

“At a time when countries of the world find their future so closely linked, more and more of them want to join hands to shoulder the historic mission of addressing difficulties and challenges, and advancing the well-being of all humanity.”

With this in mind, he proposed four steps:

We should safeguard the postwar international order and foster lasting peace based on common security. The world wants peace, not war. We should turn into action the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and reject the Cold War mindset and bloc confrontation. We should settle differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation and oppose unilateral military actions that violate the UN Charter and circumvent Security Council authorisation. Major countries shoulder special responsibilities for safeguarding international peace and security, and they should take the lead in complying with rules, upholding rule of law and doing what’s right.

He added: “China calls for advancing the governance of the West Bank and the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza in accordance with the principle of the Palestinians governing Palestine… China urges the relevant country to immediately stop using threat of force against Cuba and immediately and completely lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba.”

We should address the global development predicament and promote prosperity for all through openness and cooperation. It is important to give priority to key areas including poverty reduction, food security and energy transition, step up resource input, and increase support for countries in the Global South. Developed countries should honour their commitment to development financing and climate financing. Facing a new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, especially the dynamic development of artificial intelligence, we should take a people-centred approach and develop AI for the positive and for good, narrow the digital divide, and promote development that is universally beneficial.
We should advance exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations and rebuild unity and mutual trust through communication and dialogue. We should reject ideological prejudice and respect the development paths and social systems decided on independently by the people of all countries. We should deepen the sharing of governance practices and jointly explore ways to tackle challenges facing our times.
We should stay committed to multilateralism and take steps to safeguard fairness and justice. Multilateralism is the choice made by humanity after going through scourges, and fairness and justice are the joint pursuit of the people of all countries. China holds that all countries, big or small, are equal members of the international community, and that world affairs should be handled by all through consultation, and rule of law, fairness and justice in international affairs should be jointly upheld. The UN should effectively address global challenges including climate change and public health security, improve governance rules in such areas as cyberspace, outer space and polar regions, and truly increase the representation and voice of the Global South.

Noting that it was on October 25, 1971, that the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, by which the UNGA decided to restore all the rights of the People’s Republic of China in the UN and recognise the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN, Han continued:

“Over the past 55 years, China has been a stabilising force in times of volatility. China is firmly committed to pursuing peaceful development and has the best track record on peace and security among major countries. It is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It also took the initiative that led to the issuance of the first joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states on preventing nuclear war. China has been a main engine driving common development. China has created two miracles at home, namely, fast economic growth and long-term social stability, and it has, over many years, contributed around 30 percent to global growth. China has joined hands with more than three fourths of the countries in the world in pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, it has mobilised over 23 billion US dollars and carried out more than 2,000 projects under the Global Development Initiative, and it has granted zero-tariff status to all the African countries and least developed countries having diplomatic relations with it to empower the Global South in pursuing modernisation. China has been a progressive force in an era of change. China has always spoken up for the Global South, stood up for the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and continued to work toward a more just and equitable global governance system. In October, China will host the Global Governance Forum in the Xiong’an New Area. You are welcome to attend the forum and join the discussion about the way forward in global governance.”

He concluded: “China will join hands with all other countries to build a community with a shared future for humanity and make the world a better place for all of us.”

Xi meets Trump – two visions collide

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United States of America from September 23 to 25 at the invitation of President Donald J. Trump. It was his first state visit to the country since September 2015, during the Barack Obama administration, and follows President Trump’s state visit to China in May this year.

On the eve of the visit, the Morning Star published an editorial, arguing that this visit “could scarcely come at a more critical moment”, with:

Two already-disastrous wars threatening to spin out of control, in Ukraine and in the Gulf
Alarm mounting at the dangers posed by artificial intelligence
Growing levels of debt threatening to deepen problems in the global capitalist economy
The menace of climate change developing apace

All of these crises, the paper argues, “are rooted in the workings of imperialism today, in the dynamics for its ceaseless drive for capital accumulation on a global scale, its search for the greatest possible profit through international competition and coercion.”

Furthermore: “In Trump this failing system has an appropriate, if highly dangerous, lead representative. His actions, animated both by a bullying ‘America First’ aggression and a drive for personal and financial self-aggrandisement, have made every aspect of the threats facing the world worse.

“Yet for all his bluster and military adventures, Trump approaches his summit with Xi as the weaker party in some respects.”

Among the reasons for this are that: “In contrast to Trump, Beijing continues to uphold international law and the authority of the United Nations — thin defences against the depredations of imperialism but a base to build on rather than an edifice to be torn down…

“Xi also leads a cohesive society developing apace along almost every indicator of human well-being. Trump’s US by contrast is choking on its own divisions, including rampant racism, the removal of all restraints on private and corporate greed and the negation of the rights notionally provided for under the constitution.”

From this, the paper concludes: “Because of this it is, alas, unlikely that the meeting will lead to any great breakthroughs on major issues… Ultimately, the meeting between Xi and Trump is a meeting of a plausible future for the international order and a dystopian present. Xi and the Communist Party of China he leads bear much of the hopes of the world in the present crisis.”

China and Russia veto bid to pressure Iran

An attempt by the United States, supported by Britain and France, to further misuse the United Nations to put pressure on Iran suffered a setback on September 17 when China and Russia vetoed a proposed extension to the mandate of the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Iran. Pakistan and Somalia abstained on the vote.

The New York Times reported: “Fu Cong, China’s UN ambassador, urged Council members to avoid ‘double standards, political manipulation, pressure and confrontation’. It added that he described the US decisions to pull out of a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and to wage war against the country this year were ‘at the root of the current crisis’.”

The New York Times added: “The latest confrontation at the UN came the day after a high-level meeting between the foreign ministers of China and Iran in Beijing, at a time when Mr. Trump appears to be running out of options on Iran.”

Iran’s Press TV reported that the country’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that the “unipolar order” has ended after China and Russia rejected the political abuse of the UN Security Council by the United States and its allies.

In a post on X, Qalibaf added: “China and Russia’s vetoes rejected the political abuse of the Security Council and reaffirmed the rule of law. We must defend multilateralism; unilateralism serves no one’s interests.”

Iran’s UN mission said China and Russia have “once again stood firmly in defence of the UN Charter, international law, and the integrity of the Council” and prevented “yet another cynical attempt by the United States and its allies to abuse the Security Council for their political purposes”. Iran expressed its deep appreciation to them for their “consistent and principled positions and decisive actions today”. The mission also commended Somalia and Pakistan for their “valuable positions and abstentions”.

Review: China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World

We are very pleased to publish the detailed review below by Dr Francisco Dominguez of the recently published ‘China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World: Changes unseen in a century’, edited by Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez. Francisco is one of the foremost anti-imperialist scholars and activists in Britain. Originally a political refugee from Pinochet’s Chile, he was the head of the Research Group on Latin America at Middlesex University and is the National Secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and an executive committee member of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign.

Francisco goes through the book chapter by chapter and concludes that it is “a book that is a must read”.

It was launched online on 20 September and is available from socialistbooks.com. The discount code CHINA35 gives 35 percent off all titles from the publishers Praxis Press until the end of the year.

Three features define the contours that this book seeks to scrutinise in its examination of China’s foreign policy. The first is the proposition that “the world is presently witnessing changes unseen in a century”, whose pace and scale have intensified dramatically. The second concerns the transformation of China’s foreign policy, hitherto moulded by the principle of “hide our capacities and bide our time” and the practice of “being good at maintaining a low profile”, but now “replaced by a more assertive and proactive strategy” aimed at promoting the interests of the Global South, advancing peace and common security, and pursuing a more just world order. The third is an exploration of the historical roots and theoretical foundations of China’s foreign policy. This is quite an undertaking for a group of nine intellectual cadres, each addressing specific dimensions of China’s foreign policy, which has itself become a crucial factor in the ongoing “changes unseen in a century”.

The images on the book’s cover provide an intriguing foretaste of its content. The first depicts the 1955 Bandung Conference, at which the then Third World—represented by 29 participating countries, and still largely confined to aspirational declarations—expressed its desire for a “more just world system”, free from colonial oppression and founded upon respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. The conference also featured Zhou Enlai’s proposal, on behalf of the recently founded People’s Republic of China, of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

China at the UN: peace, development, and fairness

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is holding its 81st annual general debate in New York, September 22–28.

Referring to this, the Chinese newspaper Global Times published an editorial commentary on 20 September, which starkly contrasted the two very different world views that will contend at this global gathering:

“What should the world expect to hear? Gaza’s children weeping, small island states crying for help, the Global South demanding development and fairness.”

Referring to the heavy restrictions placed on the Iranian delegation attending the meeting and the outright denial of visas to delegates from Palestine, it notes:

“Iran is right: Attendance is a legal right, not a favour. By extension, peace is a right, development is a right, and so is not being left behind in the AI era. This is the fair word China will speak. If delegates can enter the UN hall only at the host’s discretion, confined by travel limits and a compressed delegation [as in the case of Iran], then international law and the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the UN are already hollowed out… Harder still: Between the two states at war, Israel is admitted while Palestinian representatives are shut out for taking its war with Israel to international courts. Yet in Gaza’s ruins, families still search for remains, and the blood of women and children remains wet.”

China, it continues, demands an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian access, an end to annexation and a two-state solution. “No cease-fire, no development. No justice, no lasting ceasefire.”

Turning to the issue of climate change, it argues that developed nations must fulfill their climate finance promises. “China is planting trees, installing solar power panels and promoting electric vehicles at scale, sharing technology with its Southern partners because, in the face of the climate crisis, we are all in the same boat.”

Likewise, “China advocates ‘AI for good and for all’, promoting it as a shared resource through open-source initiatives and capacity building, so that African doctors, Southeast Asian teachers and Latin American farmers can all benefit. China seeks no AI hegemony; it simply hopes no child misses out on the future because of where they were born.”

China, it concludes, is ready to stand with all countries that cherish peace and pursue development.

Launching “China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World”

On 20 September, Friends of Socialist China and the International Manifesto Group, together with Praxis Press, Manifesto Press and the Critical Theory Workshop, held an online launch for the newly-released China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World: Changes Unseen in a Century. Edited by Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez, the book brings together nine essays on the history, theory and practice of China’s foreign relations. Chaired by Carlos, the launch heard from contributors Andrew Murray, Danny Haiphong, Mick Dunford, Jenny Clegg, Torkil Lauesen, Ken Hammond and Keith.

The full video of the event is embedded below, and each contribution is also available as a separate video, linked in the text that follows.

A case study in Iran

Carlos opened the launch by explaining why the book was put together. The US-Israeli war on Iran, he argued, is not only an attack on a country Washington and Tel Aviv happen to dislike, but part of a desperate campaign to arrest the whole process of multipolarity. It has failed: Iran’s sovereignty is intact and its strategic relationship with both China and Russia has deepened.

China’s conduct in the war, Carlos suggested, provides a case study for the book’s key arguments. Beijing condemned the aggression from the outset, continued buying the bulk of Iran’s oil in defiance of US sanctions, vetoed Security Council resolutions designed to legitimise the war, and worked persistently with regional countries – most notably Pakistan – towards a ceasefire and negotiated solution. That combination of material solidarity and an unwavering insistence on peace and the UN Charter is what the book sets out to explain: a foreign policy that is “neither the menacing expansionism imagined by the China hawks, nor the timid inadequacy lamented by parts of the Western left”.

Not a Cold War re-run

Andrew Murray, political correspondent of the Morning Star, argued that China’s rise cannot be understood without its corollary, the decay of the United States. After all, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the financial crash of 2008, had little to do with China. Only now, with US decline and China’s growing weight combined, has the contradiction between imperialism and a Global South in which China plays a leading part clearly become the main contradiction in world politics.

This is not a simple re-run of the Cold War. The Soviet Union faced a far more powerful array of forces, and the mass national liberation and labour movements of that era do not exist in the same form today. Washington has moved from hoping for the incremental restoration of capitalism in China towards military and strategic encirclement, of which AUKUS is but one symptom.

On the charge that China is imperialist, Andrew commended Carlos’s polemic with Greg Godels and offered the historian Victor Kiernan’s definition of imperialism as “coercion exerted abroad, by one means or another, to extort profits above what simple commercial exchange can procure”. That coercive element, he said, is “something which is entirely absent from China’s conduct of international affairs and business”.

China and Brazil should lead the Global South toward collective self-reliance

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, met with Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil for Foreign Policy, Celso Amorim, in Beijing, on September 16.

Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping’s warm greetings to President Lula, stating that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Brazil relations have in recent years achieved leapfrog development from comprehensive strategic partners to communities with a shared future. The global, strategic, and long-term nature of their relationship has become more prominent, and it has become a model of unity and cooperation among major powers in the Global South. Both sides, he added, should strengthen strategic cooperation on major international and regional issues, continue to stand on the side of international fairness and justice, jointly hold high the torch of multilateralism, and lead the Global South toward collective self-reliance.

Amorim conveyed President Lula’s sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, stating that both China and Brazil are major countries in the Global South and can genuinely contribute to world peace and stability. In the current international situation of turmoil and instability, Brazil-China relations transcend the bilateral scope and carry increasing significance. Both sides should strengthen communication and cooperation on multilateral platforms such as BRICS and jointly contribute to promoting world peace and development.

Iranian Foreign Minister: Tehran is fully prepared to deepen strategic coordination with Beijing

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Beijing on September 16 and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reports that Wang Yi stated that the current situation in the Middle East remains turbulent, seriously affecting international peace and development. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is willing to play a constructive role in resolving international disputes. China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, and China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran to safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests. The continuation of the US-Iran war does not serve the common interests of the parties involved or the international community. We encourage Iran and the United States to remain rational and restrained, to return to the Memorandum of Understanding agreed in Islamabad as soon as possible, restructure negotiation mechanisms based on the consensus reached so far and conduct substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern. We support Iran’s dialogue with Gulf countries, respect for each other’s territorial sovereignty and national security, and safeguarding regional common interests in a constructive manner.

Wang further pointed out that the current situation once again proves that the existing security framework in the Middle East is not yet complete and needs reform and strengthening. During his visit to Egypt, President Xi Jinping put forward four proposals to support regional countries in upholding a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept and building a new security architecture for the Middle East. We welcome beneficial exploration by regional countries on this topic. On Middle East issues, as a responsible major power, China will continue to contribute to peace and stability, to promoting peace talks, and to fairness and justice.

Araghchi briefed Wang Yi on the latest situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region and Iran’s next steps, stating that Iran does not want the conflict to continue and hopes to return to diplomatic resolution channels while firmly safeguarding its own interests. Iran believes the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding remains valid, Iran has reached a plan with Oman to open the Strait of Hormuz, and the US should fulfil all its commitments. Iran is also willing to engage in dialogue and consultation with regional countries, establish and develop good-neighbourly and friendly relations, and promote the early restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region. Iran welcomes and supports President Xi Jinping’s four propositions for maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and the four initiatives for promoting regional common security. It is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within this framework and looks forward to China playing a greater role in regional peace and stability.

The Tehran Times reported that Araghchi expressed strong support for President Xi Jinping’s landmark proposals on safeguarding peace in the Middle East, declaring that Tehran is fully prepared to deepen strategic coordination with Beijing to build a sustainable regional security framework.

The English language Iranian daily reported that: “Amid China’s consistent contributions to regional and global peace and stability, Araghchi’s call for a greater Beijing-led role further underscores the diplomatic significance of his visit.

“This is the second time that the Iranian foreign minister has paid an official visit to China since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February. Araghchi last visited China in May, shortly before a trip by President Donald Trump to the country. Araghchi’s Wednesday visit comes ahead of the upcoming trip by President Xi to the US, where he will meet Trump.

“China is a trusted partner not only for Iran but also for other countries in the Middle East, in addition to maintaining open communication channels with Washington.

“When viewed alongside China’s principled stance during the Iran-US war, its emphasis on prioritising dialogue over confrontation, the two four-point initiatives put forward by President Xi, and his latest call for a ‘due role’ in resolving the conflict through BRICS, the significance of Araghchi’s trip becomes even clearer.”

The Tehran Times concluded: “By offering visionary peace initiatives and standing firmly against unilateralism and hegemony, Beijing provides a vital pillar of support for independent nations confronting external aggression. This diplomatic momentum underscores China’s constructive leadership and its contribution to advancing lasting security, development, and peace in the region.”

For its part, the Palestine Chronicle noted that Araghchi had stressed Iran’s strategic partnership with China and said that decisions being taken amid current regional developments would have “enormous repercussions.” It added:

“Against this backdrop, Tehran and Beijing have intensified diplomatic coordination, with Iran presenting China as an important strategic partner in shaping the political response to the war and its wider economic consequences.

“Araghchi said the choices being made during the current period would extend beyond the immediate crisis, affecting the future balance of power and political arrangements across the region.”

Can China save the world?

In the following review of China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World, Dirk Nimmegeers describes the collection as an “intriguing, enjoyable read, aimed at a diverse readership”. The review gives an overview of each of the ten chapters – from the historical and theoretical framing provided by the editors, through contributions by Ken Hammond, Andrew Murray, Jenny Clegg, Danny Haiphong, Cheng Enfu, Torkil Lauesen and Michael Dunford, to Carlos Martinez’s closing chapter on the Four Global Initiatives.

This review first appeared, in Dutch, on Chinasquare.be, and has been machine translated.

Note: there will be an online book launch for the book – hosted by Friends of Socialist China together with the International Manifesto Group, Praxis Press, Manifesto Press and the Critical Theory Workshop – on Sunday 20 September at 4pm Britain (5pm Western Europe, 11am US Eastern), at which seven of the book’s contributors will speak.

At present, ‘the world is undergoing changes the likes of which have not been seen for a century’. This is a well-known statement by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez, it is becoming clearer every day that Xi is right. They point, to name but a few signs, to the course of the war against Iran, or the rise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Furthermore, the editors of Friends of Socialist China note that China has adapted its foreign policy to this reality, shifting from a low profile approach to a more assertive and proactive strategy. When they asked seven other eminent specialists for their analysis of China’s foreign policy, the editors therefore decided to give the collection a subtitle that echoes Xi’s vision. China’s Foreign Policy and the Making of a Multipolar World: Changes unseen in a century was published by Praxis Press at the end of August.

The book contains analyses of what China represents in geopolitical terms today. The authors are well-established and experienced academics and journalists. They provide answers to questions on this subject, which is of the utmost importance for the future of the world – questions that preoccupy many readers, particularly those on the progressive and left-wing spectrum. What is the historical background to Chinese foreign policy, and how will it evolve? On what principles and theories is it based? How does practice relate to propaganda? Is China a new imperialist power? Is its international policy ‘good enough’ for a country that calls itself socialist? And what does China’s rise mean for the Global South, for the prospects of peace and for the long-term struggle to establish a more just world order?

Parliamentary diplomacy boosts Angola-China friendship

Adão de Almeida, Speaker of Angola’s National Assembly, paid an official visit to China from September 9-17.

According to Angola’s Angop news agency, the agenda included sharing experiences on China’s legislative process, as well as identifying best practices that could be adapted to the Angolan context. The delegation also visited infrastructure related to science, technology and innovation, sectors regarded as strategic to Angola’s economic and social development.

Manuel Dembo, First Secretary of the Bureau of the National Assembly, noted that the visit is of significant strategic importance, as it is the first official visit by a Speaker of Angola’s National Assembly to the People’s Republic of China. The parliamentarian also highlighted the role played by China in Angola’s post-war reconstruction process, advocating stronger strategic cooperation between the two countries through parliamentary diplomacy.

Angop also reported that the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening interparliamentary cooperation and promoting political dialogue and mutual understanding as well as closer ties between the two peoples.

Under the instrument, the parties undertake, among other aspects, to deepen parliamentary ties and promote institutional exchanges, contributing to the strengthening of cooperation relations between the Republic of Angola and the People’s Republic of China.

The MoU was signed following September 11 talks between Almeida and his Chinese counterpart Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC). Zhao said China stands ready to work with Angola, under the guidance of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, to carry forward traditional friendship, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, advance the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and promote the steady growth of China-Angola relations. Further, China appreciates Angola’s long-standing commitment to the one-China principle and will continue to firmly support Angola in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Almeida said that while pursuing its own development, China supports the common development of its partners around the world. The National Assembly of Angola stands ready to strengthen exchanges with China’s NPC and give full play to the role of the legislature in providing legal guarantees for the implementation of the cooperation agreements between the two countries.

The Angolan visitor also met with Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), on the same day.

Noting that Angola appreciates China’s support for its economic and social development, Almeida said Angola stands ready to deepen cooperation in energy, economy and trade, and transportation, strengthen international coordination, and promote fair and equitable global governance.

The following day, Almeida gave a keynote lecture at the China University of Petroleum, in which he highlighted the role of Angola’s parliament in creating the legislative conditions required for the development of the national oil industry, with particular emphasis on the approval of tax incentives aimed at attracting investment.

Almeida stated that, despite ongoing efforts to diversify the economy, oil continues to occupy a significant position, which is why the state has sought to create conditions to maintain adequate levels of production and attract new investment.

According to the Parliament Speaker, Angola once achieved production of approximately two million barrels of oil per day. However, this level has declined in recent years and currently stands at just over one million barrels per day. He added that this situation requires new investment, particularly in scientific research, exploration and the discovery of new oil fields, as well as in attracting capital for the development of petroleum resources.

Almeida also expressed satisfaction that the China University of Petroleum hosts Angolan students engaged in education and scientific research in the field of petroleum exploration. He considered that the training of these professionals could contribute to the development and growth of Angola’s oil industry and stressed the need for continuous, in-depth and dedicated study.

“We are confident that they will help ensure that Angola’s oil industry continues to grow and prosper,” he said.

In his address, the parliamentary leader also advocated the need for Angola to evolve from a state primarily engaged in oil production into a country with greater domestic capacity to process and refine its own resources.

Trump and Xi: two views on international relations

With a second summit this year between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump expected to take place in Washington DC before the end of September, the US newspaper People’s World recently carried an article by veteran activist David Cavendish setting out the two leaders’ divergent views on international relations.

He notes that we have recently “seen how the leadership of the United States government, bogged down in a war that it cannot win, is spewing threats and insults against countries, both ‘friend’ and ‘foe’.”

He notes a number of statements by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for example on X: “Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime.”

“At the same time”, he adds, “the president announced on his social media site that he will continue to use the military option, with attacks on targets in southern Iran. ‘If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!’

“The president’s language, to say the least, is stark and speaks in a tone rarely heard in international affairs. One can make all types of analyses as to what motivates Trump, but one thing is clear: He is an extreme example of US imperialistic policies followed since the Spanish-American War.” (1898)

Noting China’s refusal to acquiesce in Trump’s campaign, he writes, “that was not just because of some minor technicality, but because the basis of Chinese foreign economic policy is, in most respects, the complete opposite of that of the United States.”

In this regard he draws attention to an editorial in Global Times, which states: “If the US cannot even rally its own allies, it certainly cannot expect to boss China around. China has consistently opposed unilateral bullying and long-arm jurisdiction—not because China is Iran’s largest trading partner and maintains long-standing friendly relations with Iran, but because once this US logic is accepted, international trade would no longer be normal exchanges between nations. Instead, it would devolve into an absurd situation where the US unilaterally sets the rules and the flow of all goods must be approved by the US.”

Noting how President Xi Jinping had recently stated, at the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, that all countries need to build “an equal and orderly multipolar world,” one that “should ensure equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules for all countries, regardless of their size, strength and wealth,” he concludes:

“That is the stark choice facing the people of our planet. On the one hand, we have the neo-barbarism of the Trump administration. On the other, a new set of international relations based on equality, fairness, and peace. The choice is clear.”

BRICS Summit reaches consensus and affirms support for Palestine and Cuba

The 18th Summit of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, meeting in the Indian capital, New Delhi, over September 12-13 adopted a joint declaration at the conclusion of its first session held in the afternoon of September 12.

The detailed 140-point declaration addresses a huge range of issues. Considering the sharp differences presently existing among some BRICS member countries, most notably Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the unanimous adoption by all the full members of BRICS may be said to represent not least a considerable achievement on the part of Indian diplomacy, with, according to numerous media reports, its diplomats working intensively to secure consensus and agreement among all parties in the days leading up to the summit.

The Xinhua News Agency reports that the declaration, which is entitled, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflects a commitment to inclusive global governance and strengthening multilateralism, calling for international and regional peace and security, and underscoring sustainable and inclusive global economic growth as well as strengthening cultural and people-to-people cooperation.

Acknowledging the historical lineage of this key agency of Global South cooperation, the declaration notes: “We recall the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia that proclaimed general principles, including equality, independence, non-intervention, and mutual benefit. We stress that the Bandung Spirit serves as a reference in the pursuit of a fairer, more inclusive, and representative multilateral system.”

Considering not least the positions and actions in the recent period of India and the United Arab Emirates, one positive and welcome development is the relatively principled stand taken by the declaration on the Palestinian and related issues. It states:

“We take note of the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2803. We call for the implementation of the relevant UNGA and UNSC Resolutions and urge all parties to ensure the maintenance of ceasefire and full and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip. In this context, we express deep concern on the continued violence in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement of October 2025. We call for halting any policies aimed at forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza Strip and express concern regarding arrangements that may prejudice the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and legitimise or prolong occupation.

“We reaffirm that a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means and depends on the fulfilment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights to self-determination and return. We affirm the need for adequate representation of Palestine in all relevant international organisations, including multilateral financial institutions, and access to their resources. We reaffirm our support for the State of Palestine’s full membership in the UN in the context of the unwavering commitment to the two-state solution, in accordance with international law, including relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, that includes the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within the internationally recognised 1967 borders, which included the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in order to achieve the vision of two States living side by side, in peace and security.

“We express our firm opposition to the forced displacement, temporary or permanent, under any pretext, of any of the Palestinian population from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as any geographic or demographic changes to the territory of the Gaza Strip. We reiterate that international law and international judicial bodies demand the end of the illegal occupation and the immediate cessation of all practices that undermine legal norms and obstruct a just and lasting peace.

“We reiterate our grave concern about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We call for adherence to international law, in particular to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and condemn all their violations, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, including healthcare facilities and other civilian infrastructure, as well as the unlawful obstruction of humanitarian access. We also condemn attempts to politicise or militarise humanitarian assistance. We reassert our steadfast support for UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and stress the need to fully respect the mandate, bestowed on it by the UNGA, for the provision of basic services to Palestine refugees in its five fields of operations. We call on all relevant parties to respect their obligations under international law and act with utmost restraint and to avoid escalatory actions and provocative declarations. We note, in this regard, the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice in the legal proceedings instituted by South Africa against Israel, which, inter alia, reaffirmed Israel’s legal obligation to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

“We reject any unilateral measures that seek to alter the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem. We urge full respect for the sanctity of all religious sites and holy places in the city and for the rights of all to access and to observe their religious rites without hinderance.

“We welcome the ceasefire in Lebanon and call on all parties to strictly adhere to its terms and to fully implement UNSC Resolution 1701. We condemn the continued violations of the ceasefire and of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon. We call on Israel to respect the terms agreed with the Lebanese government and to withdraw its occupying forces from all of the Lebanese territories, in which they remain.

“We highlight the vital role played by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and agree it is imperative to ensure the safety, security, and freedom of movement of all UN personnel and equipment, as well as to respect the integrity of UN premises. We condemn all attacks against UNIFIL installations and personnel and emphasise that such attacks are a violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). We also extend our deepest condolences for the loss of four Indonesian as well as other peacekeepers serving under UNIFIL and express solidarity with all Troop Contributing Countries affected. We express our condemnation of the incidents that led to these fatalities and reiterate that the safety and security of UN peacekeepers are non-negotiable. We underscore the importance of respecting the role and mandate of UNIFIL in supporting the Government of Lebanon and in creating space for a political solution. In this regard, we call for those responsible for these attacks to be held accountable and further call on all parties to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of UNIFIL personnel and assets, as well as the inviolability of UN premises.”

The declaration also declares its support for Cuba, stating: “Underlining the character of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, built on mutual respect, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-intervention, we express deep concern on the situation relating to Cuba due to the tightening of unilateral blockade measures against the country, their adverse effects on the Cuban economy, energy supplies and the worrying humanitarian impact on the Cuban people. In this regard, we reiterate the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial measures against Cuba in accordance with UNGA Resolution A/RES/80/4.”

It concludes by extending full support to China for its BRICS Chairship in 2027 and the holding of the XIX BRICS Summit in China.

Kim Jong Un: we will always join hands with the Chinese comrades

Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un sent a reply letter on September 12 to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in response to his letter sent on the occasion of the 78th founding anniversary of the DPRK on September 9.

Kim Jong Un wrote: “Your warm congratulations and best wishes serve as great strength and encouragement to all the members of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the DPRK people who are making all-out efforts to usher in a new era of comprehensive national rejuvenation, regarding socialism as their faith.

“We will always join hands with the Chinese comrades in the course of firmly defending and advancing the common cause of socialism and better cultivating, strengthening and developing the traditional DPRK-China relations of friendship and cooperation in conformity with the requirements of the new era and the aspirations and wishes of the peoples of the two countries.”

On September 8, the DPRK embassy in Beijing hosted a reception to mark their national day. It was attended by Peng Qinghua, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC), along with representatives of numerous Chinese departments and organisations.

In his speech Ambassador Ri Ryong Nam said that the 78 year-long history of the DPRK is the proud course of victory in which it has dynamically advanced for building a powerful socialist country despite all trials and difficulties under the outstanding leadership of President Kim Il Sung, Chairman Kim Jong Il and respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

He said that the Workers’ Party of Korea and the DPRK government would as ever invariably and firmly support the Chinese people in their struggle for defending the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and the country’s national sovereignty, security, development and interests under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping as its core.

Peng Qinghua extended warm congratulations on behalf of the Chinese party, government and people to the Korean party, government and people, saying that after the founding of the DPRK the Korean people embarked on the road of independent development and have dynamically advanced the socialist cause and changed the appearance of the state by waging a ceaseless struggle for 78 years.

No matter how the international situation may change, the Chinese party and government remains unchanged in its firm stand of attaching great importance to the China-DPRK friendship and also in its steadfast determination to firmly support the socialist cause of the DPRK led by General Secretary Kim Jong Un, defend the common interests of the two countries and preserve the excellent strategic environment, he stressed.

Meanwhile the General Association of Koreans in China (GAKC) and other organisations of the Korean community held celebrations on September 8 and 9 to mark their national day. They included placing flower baskets at the statue of President Kim Il Sung at Yuwen Middle School in Jilin and study tours of anti-Japanese revolutionary battle sites, where Chinese and Korean comrades fought shoulder-to-shoulder, in the three northeastern provinces of China. Kim Il Sung, the founder of the DPRK, studied at the Yuwen Middle School in his teenage years and his time there formed an important part of his early revolutionary activities. The school is also associated with a number of key figures in the Chinese revolution, including Guo Moro, Chu Tunan, and Shang Yue, who taught there, and Peng Huanwu and Ma Zongjin, who studied there.

India and China need to contribute more positive energy to world peace, stability, development and prosperity

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in the Indian capital New Delhi on September 12. The two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views and reached an important consensus that China and India should be partners.

Xi said China has always viewed and developed its relations with India from a strategic height and with a long-term perspective. He noted that he has met with Modi twice over the past two years, which had guided bilateral relations from a new start to a further improvement. China and India have different national conditions, Xi said, adding that they can draw on each other’s strengths, support one another, help each other succeed and pursue common development. Amid a turbulent international landscape, China and India, as the world’s two most populous countries and important members of the Global South, shoulder important responsibilities. They need to keep in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of peoples, work together to promote high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and contribute more positive energy to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Xi further called on China and India to draw on the political wisdom of mutual respect and understanding to overcome disruptions, urging both sides to pursue parallel progress in bilateral ties and border issues with the two tracks reinforcing each other, so as to maintain peace and tranquility in their border areas. He further said that the two countries should support each other as rotating chair of the BRICS, strengthen coordination within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the G-20, stand together in addressing global challenges, and unequivocally uphold international fairness and justice.

Prime Minister Modi said that he has held several productive meetings with Xi, guiding India-China relations toward a positive direction, which serves the common interests of the more than 2.8 billion people of both countries. The two major civilisations of India and China have, over thousands of years, learned from each other through exchanges and moved forward hand in hand. India adheres to an independent foreign policy, and the development of its relations with China is not subject to the influence of any third party, he noted.

India thanked China for its support for its hosting of the BRICS summit and will fully support China in assuming the BRICS chairmanship next year. Modi added that India is ready to closely coordinate and cooperate with China to jointly strengthen cooperation among Global South countries, promote a more multipolar world and global economic growth, and serve as a force for stability and progress in a turbulent world.

China supports Mexico’s defence of its independence, sovereignty and security

Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Roberto Velasco Álvarez visited China from September 6-7 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The two foreign ministers held talks in Beijing on September 7.

Wang Yi said that China has always viewed and advanced China-Mexico relations from the strategic perspective of unity and cooperation among countries in the Global South. China appreciates Mexico’s long-term and firm adherence to the one-China principle and supports Mexico in maintaining its independence and autonomy, safeguarding its sovereignty and security, and opposing external interference.

Noting that China and Mexico share similar positions on many international and regional issues, Wang said China is ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Mexico on the international and multilateral stages to safeguard the respective legitimate interests of the two countries.

Velasco said the Mexican side commends the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence proposed by China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle and upholds the authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which restored China’s rightful seat in the world body.

The Mexican foreign minister further said that Mexico supports China in holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will be held in Shenzhen in November, and its playing a leading role, expressing willingness to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to jointly safeguard the international multilateral system.

The importance of Wang Yi’s strong statement in support of Mexico’s independence, security and sovereignty and in opposition to external interference has to be seen in the context of the steadily mounting bullying, aggression and threats emanating from the Trump administration in the US as part of its current hemispheric hegemonic rampage.

Three days later, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her stance on national sovereignty and rejected US political pandering at Mexico’s expense ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

“As we have always said, Mexico is nobody’s piñata. Mexico must be respected. We do not interfere in their elections. They also should not use Mexico in their elections,” Sheinbaum said during her regular daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City. (Typically associated with Mexico, a piñata is generally described as a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration.)

The president was responding to recent comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that drug trafficking groups control “vast territories” of Mexico and that they “pose an enormous threat right on our border”.

On the day of Velasco’s meeting in Beijing, Trump shared on social media a map appearing to depict Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba and some other Caribbean islands as part of an expanded United States, swathed in the stars and stripes. The day before Trump had referred to the US state of New Mexico as New America.

Earlier, in mid-August, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of immediate past president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a key ally of President Claudia Sheinbaum, revealed that the US government has revoked his visa.

Xi Jinping visiting New Delhi for BRICS summit

On September 10, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi. It will also be Xi’s first visit to India since October 2019.

Previewing the summit, the Xinhua News Agency released two important feature articles on September 10 and 11 recapping Xi’s consistent support for the BRICS initiative and for the Global South and the reform of global governance more generally.

According to the first article: “Over the past two decades, BRICS has grown into a major platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, with an ever-expanding role in global affairs.

“At the upcoming summit, Xi will join other leaders in charting a new course for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, pooling the collective strength of the Global South and contributing stability and positive momentum to a world undergoing profound changes.”

Outlining Xi’s pivotal role in the development of BRICS, it recalls that when, in March 2013, Xi attended the fifth BRICS Summit in Durban, South Africa, it was his first international summit as Chinese president.

On that occasion, Xi called on BRICS countries to move toward the goal of integrated markets, a multi-tiered financial network, connectivity by land, air and sea, and greater cultural exchanges.

Two years later, at the seventh BRICS Summit held in Ufa, Russia, Xi called for building a partnership for world peace, common development, inter-civilisation dialogue and more effective global economic governance.

When China was the BRICS chair in 2017, Xi proposed the “BRICS Plus” cooperation model at the ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen, calling for getting more emerging markets and developing countries involved in the group’s concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits.

In a further article published the next day, Xinhua notes that Xi Jinping is heading to New Delhi for this year’s BRICS gathering just over a week after he took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.

“The two back-to-back multilateral engagements converge on a single, defining theme: galvanising solidarity and cooperation across the Global South.

“This year,” the article continues, “marks the 25th founding anniversary of the SCO and the 20th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, both milestone occasions.

“Riding the wave of the collective rise of the Global South, BRICS and the SCO have over the years expanded their membership and broadened their networks of partners. Their members jointly account for more than half of the world’s population and about 30 percent of the global economy. This illustrates the fact that the two groupings have evolved into major platforms for Global South cooperation.

“As the Global South rises, it deserves a bigger say in global affairs. Last year’s SCO Tianjin summit witnessed Xi’s proposal of the Global Governance Initiative, a major proposition of China to advance a more just and equitable global governance system.

“At the heart of this vision is the conviction that every country has a place and an equal role to play in global governance.

“Xi has long argued that international affairs should not be dictated by those with more muscles. ‘World affairs should be discussed by all, and international norms should be set by all,’ he said in Bishkek last week. ‘The domination of international affairs by a few is an injustice left over from history, and global governance dictated by one, a few or a bloc of countries is not true multilateralism.’

“‘As an important part of a multipolar world and a key driving force behind it, the Global South countries ought to have greater representation and voice in international affairs,’ Xi said.”

The article concludes by pointing out: “Beyond the SCO and BRICS, China has also promoted cooperation and greater representation for the Global South through frameworks such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-ASEAN summit.

“Xi has said on many occasions that China has always been a member of the Global South and will always belong to the developing world.

“‘No matter how the international landscape evolves, we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South,’” he once said.

Xi Jinping greets DPRK national day

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) celebrated its 78th national day on September 9.

Marking the occasion, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, extended congratulations to his DPRK counterpart Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

Xi pointed out that over the past 78 years, under the leadership of the WPK, the DPRK people have achieved vigorous development in various fields of socialist construction through self-reliance, unity and hard work. In recent years in particular, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, the WPK and the DPRK people have made every effort to advance economic and social development, scoring a series of development achievements to China’s heartfelt delight.

China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbours who stand by each other and share weal and woe, Xi said, stressing that it is an unswerving policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to preserve, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations.

Xi said that he stands ready to work together with Kim to continue strengthening the strategic guidance of relations between the two parties and the two countries, jointly promote the development of their respective party and state causes, continuously improve the well-being of the two peoples and deepen their friendship, so as to make greater contributions to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

Andy Burnham: Britain is prepared to restore relations with China to their historic high

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 8.

Congratulating Burnham on assuming office, Xi noted that China and Britain are comprehensive strategic partners. He urged the two sides to respect and trust each other, overcome differences, seek common ground and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that both governments are committed to developing their economies and improving people’s well-being, and the two countries can complement each other’s strengths and facilitate each other’s development.

China and Britain are both major countries in science and technology with rich resources in education, culture, sports and other fields, Xi said, and called on the two sides to adopt an open and forward-looking approach and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

More pointedly, considering the recent issues faced by British Steel and Chinese wind turbine maker Ming Yang, Xi expressed the hope that the British side will fully protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors.

Prime Minister Burnham told Xi that he had served as mayor of Manchester for many years and maintained friendly exchanges with China for years. President Xi’s visit to Manchester during his state visit to Britain in 2015 had a significant impact on promoting local exchanges and cooperation with China, he noted. Britain is ready to conduct high-level exchanges with China, advance bilateral cooperation in various fields, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and restore bilateral relations to their historic high, so as to better benefit the peoples of both countries.

He added that amidst the current turbulent and complex international landscape undergoing changes, Britain and China, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should promote the resolution of international hotspot issues through dialogue, jointly address global challenges such as climate change, and work together to safeguard world stability and prosperity.

Burnham also spoke highly of China’s efficient and effective response to the mudslide disaster that struck Gyirong Port in southwest China’s Xizang [Tibet] Autonomous Region on the country’s border with Nepal and expressed his appreciation for China’s assistance to affected British citizens.

Xi Jinping pays state visit to Egypt: “The people in the Middle East should be the masters of their own affairs”

Following his state visit to Kyrgyzstan and attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Egypt, arriving in Cairo on the evening of September 1.

On that day, Xi published a signed article in Egypt’s three main newspapers, writing that he was, “Setting foot for the second time on this land nourished by the Nile. Just as an Egyptian proverb reads, ‘Once you drink from the Nile, you are destined to return’… Known for their age-old civilisations, China and Egypt have each contributed an invaluable intellectual legacy and splendid cultural heritage to the progress of humanity. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River gave birth to the Chinese civilisation, and the Nile was the cradle of the ancient Egyptian civilisation.”

Against this background: “Seventy years ago, China and Egypt officially established diplomatic relations, marking the start of New China’s friendly cooperation with Arab and African countries. For seven decades, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain and withstood the test of the changing international landscape. It has stayed on the right course, remained robust as ever, and sustained a strong momentum. It is a fine example for China’s cooperation with Arab states and Africa as a whole, and for friendship, solidarity and collaboration between developing countries.

“China and Egypt have always been close brothers standing by each other. In the struggle for national independence and against imperialism and colonialism, the people of our two countries forged profound friendship. China firmly supported Egypt’s sovereignty over the Suez Canal, and Egypt, alongside the majority of Asian, African, and Latin American and Caribbean countries, voted unequivocally in favour of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.”

Now, “Egypt is China’s major trading and investment partner in the Arab world and Africa, and one of the first countries to participate in Belt and Road cooperation. As early as ten years ago, President El-Sisi and I jointly unveiled the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone.”

Xi pointed out that: “China and Egypt have always been sincere friends committed to equality and mutual trust. At the Bandung Conference in 1955, our two countries actively supported the anti-imperial and anti-colonial struggle, and jointly advanced Asian-African solidarity. Today, China and Egypt have shared goals and a common aspiration in upholding international order, championing fairness and justice, and practicing multilateralism. Both sides firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and both are committed to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues and realising peace and stability in the region. This demonstrates our commitment, as Global South countries, to seeking strength through unity and upholding fairness and justice…

“We need to enhance mutual trust and serve as a model in carrying forward friendship. The friendship between our two countries was forged by the elder generations of our leaders. It is our honour and responsibility to carry forward, develop and promote this friendship. Our two sides should continue supporting each other on core interests and major concerns and deepen exchanges and cooperation at various levels and across all sectors to ensure that the baton of friendship is passed on from generation to generation.”

SCO adopts Bishkek Declaration: “More countries can now be expected to explore this alternative path”

The website of the President of Russia carried the text of the speech delivered by President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026 recently held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

Vladimir Putin noted that: “The SCO has covered a really long path during these 25 years. I would like to remind you that the organisation, which was established in 2001 at the initiative of six states – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – has grown to become stronger, turning into an independent and influential centre of the emerging multipolar world. It has, de facto, become the largest regional association not only on our shared Eurasian continent but in the world as a whole. Nearly half of the global population lives in its countries, which account for over one-third of global GDP.”

Referring to the draft protocol on amending the fundamental SCO Charter, he explained that “all current observer states and dialogue partners will receive the newly-introduced SCO partner status. This decision will help streamline and expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the SCO and countries and international organisations which are interested in this cooperation.”

President Putin went on to note that: “Reciprocal trade and investment exchanges continue to expand each year. For example, Russia’s trade with the SCO member states exceeded US$400 billion last year. Our states use national currencies in mutual settlements more actively. Their share exceeds 98 percent in Russia’s operations with the organisation’s members.

“The SCO Business Council and the SCO Interbank Consortium make a major contribution to implementing joint mutually beneficial economic projects. The Development Bank, being established within the framework of our organisation, could take part in this work in the future. In my opinion, this bank should receive maximum independence from the financial systems of the states which weaponise economic tools in order to obtain unilateral advantages in international affairs.”

“Yesterday”, he continued, “we attended the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games, which are currently taking place in the Kyrgyz Republic and in which representatives of many SCO member states, including Russia, are participating. Our country stands ready to host the next games in 2028 in Kazan, Russia. We will be pleased to welcome teams from all interested states.”

Concluding he noted: “I would like to remind you that today is September 1 – the day on which the Second World War began. We must do everything in our power to prevent a return to the global practice of instigating armed conflicts. I am convinced that our efforts are directed precisely towards this objective.”

The official website of the Russian head of state also reported that: “In conclusion of the meeting, the leaders signed and adopted the final documents, including the Bishkek Declaration, decisions of the SCO Heads of State Council on joint initiatives on combatting drug addiction and on countering the spread of synthetic drugs and their precursors for the period until 2030; initiatives for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and a joint action plan for their implementation for 2026–2031; as well as scientific and technological cooperation programmes for creating the SCO Green Technology Corridor for 2026–2030.

“The SCO leaders also adopted decisions on declaring the city of Lahore (Pakistan) as the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026–2027, and on signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the African Union Commission.

“The following documents were adopted without signing: the Declaration of the SCO Heads of State Council on Strengthening Multilateral Partnership for Nuclear and Physical Nuclear Security, statements of the SCO Heads of State Council on expanding interaction in energy conservation and energy efficiency, energy systems, on supporting and strengthening the institution of the family, and on assistance to states affected by disasters.”

The Morning Star newspaper carried a feature article by Kenny Coyle analysing the significance of the Bishkek Declaration.

According to Kenny: “If you wondered where world leaders were this past week, you certainly wouldn’t have found them in London, Brussels or Washington, not even Kiev. In fact, many of the most significant leaders were in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, from August 31 to September 1 at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“Despite disagreements on many critical issues, a joint statement, the ‘Bishkek Declaration’, was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as other leaders of SCO member nations.”

Also underlining the growing economic significance and focus of the SCO, he writes: “This central concern, over the past quarter century, has been to break the US stranglehold over international finance and trade. The Bishkek Declaration strongly promotes the transformation of existing structures. ‘Member states support reform of the international financial architecture aimed at increasing the representation and strengthening the role of developing countries in the governing bodies of international financial institutions, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund’.”

The declaration also states that: “Member states, reaffirming their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, call for the conflict to be resolved exclusively through political and diplomatic means. In this regard, they welcome all efforts aimed at reducing tensions in the region.”

“On Afghanistan, which is a neighbour to several SCO members, it was stated that: ‘Member states reiterate that only an inclusive government with broad representation from all ethnic and political groups can bring lasting peace,’ and support ‘establishing Afghanistan as an independent, neutral and peaceful state free from terrorism, war and drugs.’ [Afghanistan also has observer status in the SCO. However, since the return to power of the Taliban its participation has largely been dormant.]

“On nuclear weapons and disarmament, the declaration reaffirmed support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by SCO ‘signatory members’. This is an important caveat, since neither India nor Pakistan are NPT signatories.”

[A more striking caveat is to be found in the part of the declaration dealing with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It reads: “The Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support for the People’s Republic of China’s joint construction of the Belt and Road initiative, affirming the efforts of all parties to jointly implement the initiative, including promoting the alignment of the Belt and Road with the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union.” In other words, BRI is endorsed by all SCO members with the sole exception of India.]

At just over 4,200 words, the declaration also deals with a huge range of other issues.

Kenny concludes: “While far from perfect, the Bishkek Declaration is an example of what used to be understood in the West as ‘diplomacy’, the focus on multilateral discussions and agreements, however limited, stands in stark contrast to what is currently on offer from Washington. More countries can now be expected to explore this alternative path.”