The Anti-Western Axis: Xi, Putin, Modi, and SCO’s Global Order

By: Carlos Taylhardat – 3 Narratives News | September 1, 2025

From Cold War to Cold Finance
Following World War II, the world fractured into two camps: the U.S.-led capitalist bloc and the Soviet Union’s communist sphere. That struggle was called the Cold War, which lasted for decades. But in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, the USSR disbanded, and a new order was born. Russia was even invited as the eighth member of the G7, the exclusive club of Western industrial powers.

For years, it looked as if globalization and free trade had triumphed. Nations traded across borders; supply chains spanned continents. One country, more than any other, benefited from this new order: China, transforming itself into the world’s factory and lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.

But in 2025, the pendulum has swung again. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs, arguing that “China needs us more than we need them.” Some cheer the move as long-overdue protection that will set USA towards a greater economy than ever before while others warn it risks fragmenting global commerce.

What is certain: the world is tilting, and no time has it been more apparent than in Tianjin, where 20 leaders representing half the globe’s population gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. There, a bold project has emerged, one that looks, to many, like the start of the Anti-Western Axis.

Xi Jinping’s Vision: The Global South as Power Broker

Standing before the assembled leaders, Xi Jinping cast his words with quiet force:

“Hegemonism has no future. The nations of the Global South will no longer be just markets. We will be players, equal and sovereign.”
— Xi Jinping, SCO Summit, Tianjin

China is no longer content to be the world’s workshop. The summit underscored Beijing’s ambition to be a financial, military, and ideological counterweight to the West. The most tangible outcome was the agreement to establish an SCO Development Bank, a direct challenge to the IMF and World Bank.

Analysts describe it as more than an economic tool — it’s a statement. “This is China’s Bretton Woods moment,” said an economist quoted by Reuters. “It’s about building the scaffolding of a parallel order.”

Putin’s Lifeline: Sanctions and Survival

For Vladimir Putin, ostracized from the West since the Ukraine war, the SCO is a lifeline. With Western sanctions throttling Russia’s access to capital and technology, Moscow leans on SCO partners for markets and legitimacy.

“The future is multipolar, whether Washington likes it or not,” Putin declared, repeating a line that has become his mantra.

Through SCO, Russia can sell oil to India and China outside the dollar system, bypassing sanctions. The new bank offers Moscow financing avenues shielded from Western scrutiny. To his critics, Putin looks isolated; in Tianjin, flanked by Xi and Modi, he looked anything but.

Modi’s Balancing Act: One Foot East, One West

India’s Narendra Modi struck a more careful note. While embracing SCO as a forum, he resisted radical rhetoric.

“De-dollarisation is not on our agenda. The U.S. dollar remains important. But our people also deserve a seat at the global table,” Modi said, drawing applause.

For New Delhi, SCO is a leverage. It allows India to expand ties with the Global South while reminding Washington that its loyalties are not automatic. India is the swing power in this axis: too economically tied to the West to break away, yet too geopolitically ambitious not to hedge. His gesture and comfortable demeanour are a telling tale for Modi.

Maduro at the Table: Venezuela’s Surprise Invitation

Perhaps the most symbolic addition was Nicolás Maduro, whose regime has long been under U.S. pressure. His presence drew a sharp response from Washington but delighted SCO leaders.

“Today Venezuela stands not in isolation, but in fraternity,” Maduro said, in remarks carried by state media. His inclusion signals the SCO’s willingness to embrace Latin American dissenters against U.S. influence.

Four Takeaways from the Summit

1. The SCO Development Bank – a direct challenge to IMF/World Bank dominance, designed to finance projects without Western conditions.
2. Unity Among Xi, Putin & Modi – a symbolic alignment of three major powers, despite differences.
3. Condemnation of Western Strikes – the Tianjin Declaration criticized U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran, underscoring SCO’s growing political cohesion.
4. A Southern-Led Order – Xi positioned the bloc as the vanguard of a new multipolar world, with technology, finance, and even space exploration on its agenda.

What This Means for the West

For Washington, Brussels, and Ottawa, the message is clear: the monopoly on setting rules is gone. Tariffs and sanctions may have triggered a backlash, accelerating efforts to build alternatives.

The U.S. dollar still dominates nearly 60% of global reserves, but bilateral trade in yuan, rubles, and rupees is rising. The West can no longer assume its institutions will be the only lenders of last resort, nor that its military actions will go unchallenged.

As one European diplomat told The Guardian: “It feels like 1945 again — but this time, we’re not sure we’re the architects of the next order.”

The Silent Story

In Tianjin, the headlines were about Xi, Putin, and Modi. But in the corridors, quieter voices spoke of debt relief, railways, and the hope that SCO funding might finally light homes and staff clinics in neglected corners of Asia and Africa.

A Pakistani delegate whispered, “The West gave us lectures. The Chinese give us roads.” For the Global South, this summit wasn’t just geopolitics. It was a possibility.

Conclusion

From the Cold War to Cold Finance, the story of global order is being rewritten. Whether the SCO becomes a true Anti-Western Axis or just another acronym remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the age of uncontested Western dominance is ending, and the world is watching Tianjin.

Key Takeaways

• Xi, Putin, and Modi used the SCO summit to project unity and multipolar ambition.
• A new SCO Development Bank challenges IMF/World Bank hegemony.
• Russia finds lifelines to bypass sanctions; India plays both sides.
• Venezuela’s Maduro joins, signaling outreach beyond Asia.
• For the West, this is not just rhetoric — it is the scaffolding of a parallel order.

Questions This Article Answers

1. What is the SCO, and why is it being called an Anti-Western Axis?
2. How does the SCO Development Bank challenge Western financial institutions?
3. What do Xi, Putin, and Modi gain from working together?
4. Why was Maduro invited, and what does it mean?
5. How might this shift affect Western influence and the global dollar system?

Russia–China Pipeline Pact

The Deal:

• Russia’s Gazprom and China’s CNPC agreed to increase flows through the Power of Siberia pipeline (from 38 bcm to 44 bcm annually) and expand Far Eastern supplies (from 10 to 12 bcm).
• They also signed a binding memorandum for Power of Siberia 2, a 50 bcm/year pipeline through Mongolia — nearly rivaling pre-war Russian exports to Europe.
• Key terms like pricing and financing remain unsettled, signaling China’s leverage.

What It Means

For Russia

• Lifeline Amid Sanctions: Cut off from European markets after the Ukraine invasion, Moscow secures long-term buyers for stranded gas.
• Dependency Risk: But China dictates terms. Analysts say Beijing’s negotiating power has forced Russia to sell gas at discounts, flipping the balance once held by Europe.
• Strategic Pivot: This cements Russia’s pivot to Asia, deepening its role as a raw-material supplier.

For China

• Energy Security: Stable pipeline gas helps Beijing reduce coal use while keeping costs low compared to LNG imports.
• Bargaining Advantage: China gains reliable energy while holding the upper hand on pricing and project timelines.
• Geopolitical Leverage: Strengthens China’s “Global South” positioning as it aligns with Russia against Western dominance.

For the West

• Sanctions Workarounds: The pact blunts Western embargoes on Russia by offering alternative markets.
• Energy Competition: Cheap Russian gas to China could weaken U.S. and Qatari LNG competitiveness in Asia.
• Geopolitical Fragmentation: Undermines Western unity efforts, highlighting that half the globe’s population now trades through non-Western channels.

Bottom Line:
The Russia–China pipeline agreement is more than an energy project — it’s a geopolitical re-wiring. For Moscow, it’s survival. For Beijing, it’s leverage. For the West, it’s a reminder that sanctions alone cannot isolate a resource superpower when another superpower is willing to buy.