Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Thursday in Central Asia for a “multipolar” world order, countering the American unilateralism that they denounce, during a summit bringing together several countries with strained relations with the West.
The Astana Declaration “underlines the commitment of all participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to the formation of a fair multipolar world order,” Mr. Putin insisted during the plenary session of this alliance, which brings together Russia, China, Iran, India and Central Asian countries.
“It is of vital importance that the SCO stands on the right side of history, on the side of fairness and justice,” his Chinese counterpart insisted.
The Astana Declaration, signed in the capital of Kazakhstan, also highlights the “tectonic shifts underway in world politics” and the need to “strengthen the role of the SCO.”
Putin and Xi, who display their good understanding and are accelerating their rapprochement, particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, constantly denounce the supposed “hegemony” of the United States in international relations, and vow to put an end to it.
After Iran joined last year, under Western sanctions, Belarus, also ostracized by the West for its support for the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, became the 10th member on Thursday.e member of the SCO.
“We have the power to destroy the walls of a unipolar world,” said authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 30 years.
Belarus new member
The SCO (Belarus, China, India, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan) founded in 2001 but which has gained new momentum in recent years under the impetus of Beijing and Moscow, is conceived as a platform for cooperation competing with Western organizations with a security and economic focus.
Xi Jinping also called on Thursday to “resist external interference,” a clear reference to the West and one of the mantras of this organization.
This summit in Astana is part of a diplomatic ballet underway in Central Asia, whose leaders regularly meet Putin and Xi.
The SCO, in addition to its members, has fourteen “dialogue partners”, including Turkey, a NATO member. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also present in Astana, as was the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, a sign of the growing influence of this organization, particularly in Asia.
On the downside for Russia, the Turkish president, who has had rocky relations with the Kremlin, pleaded during a bilateral meeting with Mr Putin for a “just peace” in Ukraine.
Quoted by the Russian media and visibly annoyed, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, described Turkish mediation as “impossible”, while only last year Moscow said it was in favour of it.
Although the SCO claims to represent 40% of the world’s population and around 30% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the group remains heterogeneous and there are many disagreements between its members, some of whom are mired in territorial rivalries.
Central Asia coveted
Russia and China are showing their unity in the face of the West, but remain competitors in Central Asia, a region rich in hydrocarbons and crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia.
Moscow has historical influence there because of its Soviet past, but Beijing has a growing presence there, while the West also has significant interests there.
One of the priorities of the SCO remains the deepening of economic ties between member countries and the development of titanic logistics projects to connect China to Europe via Central Asia.
The interest of the major powers in this region has intensified since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow wanting to maintain its traditional influence over the Central Asian countries, now firmly anchored to China via large-scale economic projects, the “New Silk Roads”, while being ardently courted by the West.
Western sanctions against Moscow have put a stop to the traditional transport corridor linking China to Europe via Russia and pushed the European Union and Central Asian countries to seek alternative routes, notably the one crossing Central Asia, the Trans-Caspian Corridor.
The fight against what Beijing calls “the three evils” (separatism, terrorism, extremism) is another central issue for the SCO.