Amid the well-established Pakistan-China friendship — rooted in strategic, economic, and military ties — the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) unanimous condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack marks some diplomatic gains for India.
China has long supported Islamabad on regional and security issues, including through extensive arms transfers and joint military collaborations.
From fighter jets and drones to missile systems and naval assets, Pakistan has been one of the chief recipients of Chinese military hardware.
In this context, the joint declaration issued at the SCO summit in Tianjin is particularly significant. For the first time, all member states collectively denounced the April 22 attack. “The Member States strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April,” the statement read — a rare consensus that is being interpreted as a diplomatic breakthrough for India, especially given China’s historical reluctance to censure Pakistan-based terror incidents.
This came just two months after India refused to sign the joint statement at the 2025 SCO Defence Ministers’ summit in Qingdao, China. According to reports, the statement mentioned the Jaffar Express hijacking in Pakistan but ignored the Pahalgam attack.
India’s decision highlighted its firm stance against terrorism, even if it meant breaking ranks with the group.
India’s stance brought to the fore the underlying tensions within the SCO. China, as the current chair, had backed the omission of Pahalgam, in line with its alignment with Pakistan. Yet the final declaration at Tianjin — with the explicit inclusion of the Pahalgam attack — indicates a shift that many see as a response to India’s diplomatic firmness.
“The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including the cross-border movement of terrorists,” the Tianjin statement, published by a section of the media, read.
The inclusion of the Pahalgam attack in the Tianjin statement is being viewed as validation of India’s approach and a clear message to actors who seek to blur lines on terrorism. The fact that the consensus has been reached despite the strong China-Pakistan alliance underlines a rare diplomatic alignment within the SCO.
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