
Last month’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence meeting served not only as a curtain-raiser for the bloc’s summit in the autumn, but also as a test of Beijing’s broader ambition to promote a Global South-empowered multipolar world order.Like Brics – the grouping of developing countries established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the Global South-oriented SCO is a showcase for China’s home-ground diplomacy.Beijing has increasingly relied on these platforms to...