The SCO, led by China and Russia, faces challenges in taking a decisive stance due to its design for restraint, amid Iran's high tensions with the US and Israel, despite a tentative ceasefire agreement.
India and China held a two-day SCO national coordinators meeting led by Alok Amitabh Dimri and Yan Wenbin, representing the latest institutional step in a diplomatic reset that began in 2024 with troop disengagement from Depsang and Demchok along the Line of Actual Control. Experts say this signals compartmentalisation of India-China ties, with border disputes decoupled from multilateral cooperation, allowing India to engage in Eurasian security and trade without ceding ground to Beijing or Islamabad while maintaining military posture along the border.
