China's Long Game

From The SCO Summit 2025 To China's Military Parade

Contents

1. Introduction

2. The SCO Summit

3. China’s Military Parade

4. The Multipolar Axis

5. Concluding Remarks

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Bitesize Edition

• Xi hosted the 2025 SCO meeting in Tianjin, with India, Russia, and 20+ nations present. The key themes were multipolarity, sovereign equality, and a 30-year Russia–China gas deal. A hot-mic moment between Xi and Putin on organ transplants added intrigue before being scrubbed from Chinese media.

• In the days after, we saw China’s military parade, which marked the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end in Asia. This was attended by Putin, Kim Jong Un, and leaders from 26 nations. China showcased hypersonic missiles, satellite-killing systems, and autonomous underwater vehicles. This signals a long-term strategy for dominance in land, sea, air, cyber, and space.

• Both events were physical demonstrations of Xi’s new Global Governance Initiative that he presented at the SCO. This emphasises sovereign equality and multilateralism, challenging Western dominance over global institutions. The architecture of an alternative world order is clearly being laid.

• China projects patience, long-term planning, and systemic strategy. In contrast, the U.S. remain reactive. The defining question here is, can history deny those who play the long-term?

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Introduction

Every time a major summit comes around involving China, I see analysis that downplays the role these meetings play in the world order. The existence of the multipolar group and these summits is the only sign we need that the world is set to undergo dramatic change in the coming decades. Nations aren’t incentivised to remain in a scenario in which they are disadvantaged, and for many, that is the world of today.

With this in mind, I’ll explore the recent SCO Summit in Tianjin today, as well as the Chinese military parade and the general status of the multipolar world.

Let’s dive in.

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