China's efforts to position itself as a stable alternative to U.S. trade uncertainty will help Beijing expand infrastructure and trade ties to its neighbors in continental Asia, including Russia, but India-China relations will remain inhibited by border disputes and India's strategic balancing. From Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, China hosted the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, in Tianjin. At the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative, which aims to increase representation of what he termed the ''Global South'' (i.e., developing) nations at international bodies like the United Nations, push back against alleged unilateralism by Western powers (e.g., on sanctions and trade restrictions), and eschew global economic decoupling. He also pledged that China would set up three platforms to expand its cooperation with the SCO in energy, green industry and the digital economy, provide greater medical care to SCO nations, and support regional...
