The Tianjin city hosts the SCO summit this year, and the choice of the city is seen as a strategic message to the West. (Photo: China Daily)
The SCO summit holds an elevated relevance this year as the geopolitical equations have been tensed more than ever between the US and the trio of India-China-Russia. The selection of Tianjin as the venue for the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit is symbolically and strategically very important in several different ways. Typically, major global summits and diplomatic meetings in China take place in the country's political capital, Beijing, or commercial and financial capital, Shanghai. The choice of Tianjin as the venue for the SCO summit, however, sends a well-calculated message both at home and abroad, especially given the backdrop of China's geopolitical stance in the midst of heightened international tensions with the West and the US.
Tianjin's roots date back to its formal establishment in 1404 as part of the Ming dynasty. Strategically located as a major port and trading town close to Beijing, it has been a doorway to north China and the capital in the making for centuries. As a major economic and military hub, Tianjin has flourished over centuries. It became a treaty port following the Second Opium War of 1860, being opened to Western powers and being a location for several foreign concessions that resulted in a distinctive multi-national presence well into the 20th century. Tianjin was a center for modernization and internationalism in China in the early 1900s as well. Its role as a bridge between China and the larger world in the past adds depth to its contemporary symbolism as a host for a summit focused on Eurasian cooperation and connectivity.
The fact that the SCO summit will take place in Tianjin rather than in Beijing or Shanghai seems to send a number of strategic messages. Beijing, being the capital of China, frequently receives pivotal political meetings, which would make the summit seem very traditional. Shanghai has been a symbolic birthplace of the SCO but moving the summit to Tianjin indicates a wider narrative. Tianjin's status as a strategic port city with close connections to China's Belt and Road Initiative emphasizes China's desire to prioritize trade connectivity, economic growth, and naval power as the focal point of SCO's mission. The port city setting implies the shift towards projecting roles of infrastructure and commerce instead of exclusive political symbolism of the capital.
In addition, locating the summit in Tianjin can also be read as an indirect geopolitical signal to the US and Western nations. By taking a city off the beaten path of political capitals, China sends out a signal of diversification in its global leadership role. This action reinforces that China's leadership is not limited to established power hubs but radiates through integrated regional interconnectivity and economic networks. It also implies a diplomatic messaging that emphasizes China's enhanced confidence and leadership in a multipolar order, as a counter to US-dominated diplomatic power.
Against the backdrop of present-day international politics with tensions like the Russia-Ukraine war, instability in Afghanistan, and emerging Indo-Pacific tensions, the SCO summit in Tianjin reflects China's intent to emerge as a force for stability and an advocate of multilateralism. The summit will focus on regional security, economic cooperation, energy security, and cultural exchange, furthering China's wider global strategy. Holding the summit in Tianjin instead of Beijing or Shanghai is a calculated move that speaks to China's shifting diplomatic narrative and its resolve to remap global governance on its own terms.
