Egypt’s official participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, was witnessed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who attended and participated on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Egypt’s speech at the summit is expected to receive significant attention, as the situation in the Middle East and the war on the Gaza Strip are receiving significant attention at the SCO summit. This will undoubtedly be reflected in Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s speech and the speeches of other leaders, as well as in joint bilateral discussions between all parties. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly will deliver Egypt’s speech at the summit, which is being held under the theme of “Implementing Multilateralism, Ensuring Regional Security, and Promoting Sustainable Development.” More than 20 leaders will be in attendance, along with him, at the SCO summit, which includes 10 full member states and several other observer and partner states.
Due to the dire humanitarian and security conditions in the Gaza Strip, China’s official stance was to invite Egypt to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to discuss ways to resolve the escalating crisis in the stricken Strip. All member states of the organization condemned the mechanisms of imposing unilateral sanctions on countries, as this undermines global trade. They also condemned the current situation in the Gaza Strip, which has led to thousands of civilian casualties. The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries were keen to call for a ceasefire, accelerate the exchange and release of prisoners, halt the forced displacement of Palestinians, and begin the immediate reconstruction of the Strip. This is the same agenda championed by the Egyptian regime, its leadership, and its people.
The leaders of the participating and member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by China and Russia, with strong Egyptian support, believe that the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip threatens the stability of the entire Eurasian continent, the Middle East, and the world. This indicates that Russia, China, Egypt, and their partners within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, along with the BRICS grouping of countries, of which Egypt is a member, intend not to leave the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict solely to the United States and the West, especially since they now consider it a threat to their national security. This indicates that the distinct Russian and Chinese positions, expressed in the months following the launch of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, have become principles adopted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and it is expected to issue a public position on them in the summit’s final statement.
Here comes the Egyptian side’s keenness to strengthen economic relations between the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, given its great importance to Egypt. Developing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s development strategy until 2035 will define prospects for further deepening cooperation with Egypt’s sustainable development strategy until 2035, in line with the United Nations’ development goals. The expected cooperation between Egypt and the Shanghai countries is not only in politics and security but also in the economy, energy, agriculture, high technology, and high-quality innovation.
By confirming its participation in the summit, Egypt is keen to participate in a number of regional and international events related to the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). These events promote Egypt’s interests in Asia and the SCO countries, such as the inauguration of the Regional Information Coordination Center for Central Asia, with Egypt’s presence and participation, and the deepening of relations between Egypt and the SCO Secretariat to combat illicit drug trafficking. In addition, the launch of the Investors Association and programs to develop financing mechanisms for the organization’s project activities, including cooperation in protected areas and ecotourism, serves the Egyptian side. To this end, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed, in an official statement, that Beijing seeks to promote “the Shanghai Spirit and resolve existing contradictions among its members” in order to elevate the organization to a new level that ensures its cohesion and effectiveness. Russia, a close ally of China, is paying great attention to this matter, especially after the series of US economic sanctions imposed on Moscow. Therefore, the SCO is well-positioned to become one of the pillars of a new multipolar world, confronting the American and Western hegemony.
Egypt’s participation in this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is an essential and complementary element to Egypt’s full membership in the BRICS grouping, with the help and support of both Russia and China for their Egyptian ally. Both the SCO and the BRICS have become the main pillars of the emerging new world order. The SCO and BRICS have become a powerful engine for global development within the framework of strengthening a multipolar system based on the principles of international law and respect for state sovereignty, with a focus on the pivotal role of the United Nations.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 31, and Monday, September 1, 2025, in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited several world leaders to participate in the event. Several leaders attending the summit are expected to extend their stay in China to participate in a series of events showcasing Beijing’s military might, including a massive military parade on Wednesday, September 3 (the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with China’s victory over fascist Japan).According to political and diplomatic circles in Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be the main guest at China’s most prominent military parade in Tiananmen Square in the center of the Chinese capital, Beijing. This is an indirect message to the West and the United States about the importance of committing to building a more representative, equitable, and pluralistic global order. It also emphasizes that cooperation within the organization can form the basis for an equal and balanced security architecture in Eurasia and the world as a whole. This reinforces the principles of the peaceful settlement of disputes, the non-use of force, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states, while respecting the right of states to independently choose their development paths. Furthermore, this Russian participation is an embarrassment to the West and the United States and weakens the mechanism for isolating Russia and its allies. This is evident primarily in the continued development of relations between Russia and the countries of the region, as well as Belarus’s accession to the organization as a full member. This move is viewed as primarily a political, rather than a security, move amid escalating confrontations between the West, Russia, and Belarus in the context of the Ukrainian crisis.
This summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin comes amidst numerous concurrent international and regional developments, which have cast a shadow over the summit’s agenda and context. Chief among these developments is the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, coupled with the Israeli-American insistence on adopting the issue of the forced displacement of Palestinians. This is in addition to the crises in Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, and elsewhere. To this end, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his counterparts participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to resist foreign interference, calling for strengthening the strength and unity of the organization’s ranks and intensifying efforts to confront the real challenge of interference and division, while working to find common ground to resolve problems, challenges, and difficulties through cooperation.
Perhaps most important in this context is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s determination and plan to transform into a military alliance parallel to NATO. This was confirmed by Russian President Putin during the previous SCO summit, when he stated that the SCO’s anti-terrorism apparatus would become a global center to confront a wide range of security threats. He emphasized that preserving the security of member states and their external borders is a priority for the SCO.
Finally, the SCO is expected to issue a statement reflecting all the points made in their statements by Chinese and Russian Presidents Xi Jinping and Putin as a signal to the United States and Western countries. The statement, in which the leaders participating in the Shanghai Summit condemn the growing tendency to use force in international relations at the expense of international law, such as in the case of Gaza, fuels geopolitical conflicts and fears of global instability.
