China convened defence ministers from Russia, Iran, and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao on Thursday, as international tensions mount and global security dynamics shift.
The meeting, set against the backdrop of escalating military investments by NATO and fragile ceasefires in the Middle East, underscores Beijing’s growing efforts to position the SCO as a strategic counterbalance to Western-led alliances.
The gathering of top defence officials from the 10-member SCO—comprising China, Russia, Iran, India, and several Central Asian states—comes just a day after NATO leaders pledged increased military spending during a summit in The Hague in response to mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov opened his address with a bleak appraisal of current global affairs, warning of deepening “geopolitical tensions” and “signs of further deterioration” in the international order, according to a statement from Moscow’s defence ministry.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun echoed these concerns, describing the world as “marked by intertwined turmoil and changes,” and emphasised the SCO’s role as a potential “anchor of stability.”
The city of Qingdao, where the meeting was held, is home to a major Chinese naval base and holds symbolic importance in China’s growing maritime ambitions.
The discussions occurred while a tentative truce held between Iran and Israel following 12 days of confrontation. While Beijing has close ties with Tehran, it has avoided becoming too deeply involved in the Middle East’s complex security dynamics, offering Iran only rhetorical support during recent clashes involving Israel and the United States.
Experts believe any further backing from China will remain symbolic. “Public backing for Iran will come in the form of words, rather than deeds,” said James Char, a defence expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
He added that China would be wary of escalating tensions with Washington by being seen to side too openly with Tehran.
Andrea Ghiselli, a China foreign policy scholar at the University of Exeter, suggested that any Iranian attempts to procure Chinese weaponry would likely be rebuffed to avoid provoking Israel or the US. “China is trying to stabilise relations with the United States, and arms supplies to Iran would be a step too far,” he said.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also present at the meeting, reflected on the evolving global landscape, noting that “globalisation, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum.” He called on the SCO nations to cooperate more closely in addressing shared challenges.
As China deepens its diplomatic engagement with Russia and Iran while simultaneously trying to maintain a stable relationship with the West, the Qingdao meeting illustrates Beijing’s balancing act between asserting influence and avoiding confrontation in a divided world.
