Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong unveiled a range of initiatives on Monday aimed at supporting Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
“Going forward, China plans to implement 100 ‘small and beautiful’ livelihood projects in member states that require them. It will provide RMB 2 billion yuan in grants to SCO member states within this year, and will issue an additional RMB 10 billion yuan in loans to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years,” Xu posted on X.
He further announced that starting next year, China will double SCO-specific scholarships and introduce an SCO Innovative PhD programme to foster high-level talent in academia and scientific research. Looking ahead, Xu outlined, “In the next five years, China will establish 10 Luban Workshops in SCO member states and provide 10,000 human resources training opportunities.”
Xu emphasized that the SCO Summit reinforced consensus and outlined a development roadmap, aligning with President Xi Jinping’s vision for enhanced cooperation. At the summit, President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a welcoming banquet for global dignitaries. Xi highlighted the SCO’s role as a key player in fostering new international relations and building a shared future for humanity, noting the Summit’s focus on unity, cooperation, and development. India, alongside other SCO members, committed to strengthening cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), recognizing its critical impact on societies and economies. The 2025 SCO Summit’s Tianjin Declaration reaffirmed commitments to AI and other sectors, building on the UN General Assembly Resolution on AI capacity building, emphasizing equal rights for all nations to develop and utilize AI. SCO members, including India, vowed to collaborate on mitigating AI risks while promoting security, accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, and fairness in AI technologies for humanity’s benefit. They also endorsed the Roadmap for the Implementation of the SCO Member States’ Cooperation Programme on AI Development (Chengdu, June 12, 2025). In his keynote, Xi called for deeper collaboration in energy, infrastructure, the digital economy, science, technology, and AI. The summit also showcased a humanoid AI robot named Xiao, which supported media and attendees with various tasks. Xiao’s advanced features and human-like design garnered significant attention and praise.
Point of View (PoV)
China’s $2B grant, expanded scholarships, and AI cooperation push at the 2025 SCO Summit signal a bold step toward regional development and tech collaboration. While promising mutual growth, India must navigate this to maintain strategic balance. The Tianjin Declaration’s focus on inclusive AI sets a hopeful tone for a shared global future.
