The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit comes as more countries push for a greater say in decisions shaping their own regions. In an interview with CGTN reporter Li Jingjing, Pakistani politician and journalist Mushahid Hussain Syed said the days when a few Western capitals could determine the fate of other regions are over.

He pointed to the SCO as part of this shift, saying its growing role reflects a broader demand for regional countries to have a stronger voice and for cooperation to deliver tangible results. Syed said China and the Global South are on the "right side of history."