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Context:

India distanced itself from a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) statement condemning Israeli military strikes on Iran.

Background

Following Israeli military strikes on Iran in June 2025, the SCO, currently chaired by China, issued a collective statement condemning Israel's actions.

India did not participated in the discussions leading to the statement. This was not a passive abstention but an active disassociation. In a platform influenced by China and Russia, India's move disrupted the intended narrative of a unified non-Western unanimity against a key U.S. ally, Israel.     

Strategic Step by China

Expanding the SCO's Mandate => Originally focused on Central Asian security, counter-terrorism, and regional stability, the SCO is being positioned by China to intervene in broader global conflicts, such as the one in the Middle East.

Building a Non-Western Narrative => By mobilizing the SCO to issue a statement against Israel, China aims to create a "moral counterbalance" to Western diplomatic and military actions. It seeks to project the voice of a bloc representing over 40% of the world's population as a legitimate alternative to the U.S.-led order.

Challenging Diplomatic Hegemony => China's move is a clear attempt to challenge the long-standing dominance of Western narratives in international relations. It is a form of "bloc-building" where legitimacy is derived from a shared opposition to the existing global order, rather than from shared values.

Selective Application of Principles => China is using the SCO to selectively invoke principles of sovereignty and non-intervention to criticize actions of Western partners while often remaining silent on actions of its own allies.

India's Response

India's refusal to approve the SCO statement is a powerful demonstration of its core foreign policy principle: Strategic autonomy; India will align with different partners on specific issues based on converging interests, but will not become entangled in binding alliances that restrict its freedom of action.

Protecting Balanced Bilateral Ties

• With Israel => India has a deep and growing strategic partnership with Israel, spanning defense, technology, and agriculture. Criticizing its actions would have severely damaged this critical relationship.
• With Iran => India maintains a long-standing relationship with Iran, vital for regional connectivity (e.g., Chabahar Port) and energy security. An approval of Israel's actions would have been damaging.

By disavowing the SCO statement, India maintained its independent and balanced stance towards both nations.  

Resisting Chinese Dominance and Bloc Politics => India's move was a direct signal of its discomfort with China's attempt to use the SCO as a mouthpiece for its foreign policy agenda. It maintained that the SCO cannot have a single, monolithic voice and that India will not be passively co-opted into a China-led narrative.

The Bigger Picture

It shows that a multipolar world is not just about a few competing blocs (e.g., a U.S.-led bloc vs. a China-led bloc). It is increasingly about the rise of multiple, independent power centers that refuse to be defined by any single camp.

In this new era, the highest form of diplomatic currency is not alignment with a powerful patron, but the autonomy and skillfulness to engage with all sides. India's actions, along with those of other "middle powers," demonstrate this new realism.

Source: 

INDIAN EXPRESS