Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his opening remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025.
Evelyn Cheng
TIANJIN, China — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to strengthen artificial intelligence cooperation, while rejecting what he called a “Cold War mentality.”
Xi was speaking at the largest-ever summit of the SCO to date, with more than 20 foreign leaders gathered in Tianjin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The meeting comes as China seeks to cast itself as a global peacemaker, against a backdrop of persistent trade tensions with the United States, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Xi said China has invested $84 billion in other SCO countries and pledged support for 10,000 students to join Beijing’s “Luban” vocational education program. He added that the SCO gathering presents an opportunity to chart a new phase of high-quality development and cooperation.
Ahead of his remarks, Xi briefly gathered with Modi and Putin during a photo session with all SCO members.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (front L) speaks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) and China’s President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images
Xi is expected to meet with Putin this week, with the Russian leader scheduled to stay in China for a military parade in Beijing to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II.
Over the weekend, Xi met with at least 10 visiting leaders, including Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erd