At least twenty world leaders and senior officials gathered in Tianjin on Monday for the opening of a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged members to reject “Cold War mentality” and “bullying behaviour” in international affairs.

Leaders from the SCO’s 10 full members posed for a group photograph on a red carpet outside the venue, and Xi was seen speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the session began.

Addressing the gathering, President Jinping criticised what he described as a “bullying behaviour” in the world order. He called on the leaders to “adhere to fairness and justice… oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour,” in a speech in Tianjin.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”. China and Russia have sometimes promoted the SCO as an alternative to the NATO military alliance.

Xi emphasized that the current international situation is becoming increasingly complex, saying, “The current international situation is becoming chaotic and intertwined. The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging.”

Despite these challenges, he highlighted the SCO’s past successes, stating, “Looking back, despite tumultuous times, we have achieved success by practicing the Shanghai spirit.”

Looking ahead, Xi urged the organization to continue following the “Shanghai spirit”, saying, “Looking to the future, with the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit, keep our feet on the ground, forge ahead, and better perform the functions of the organisation.”