Despite its carefully choreographed pledges of solidarity, the SCO summit in Tianjin is unlikely to usher in a new world order Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L), Vladimir Putin (C) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. Photo: EPA/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, China, from 31 August to 1 September, will be the organisation’s largest gathering of heads of state to date.