China this weekend kicks off a days-long show of diplomatic and military force when it hosts an array of world leaders, most of whom are opposed to Western hegemony.
Sunday’s meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be the bloc’s biggest ever, to be followed soon after by a mammoth military parade aimed at highlighting China’s contributions in World War II.
Yet even as Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosts allies such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, the events illustrate the limits of Beijing’s power: The SCO, though expansive, has had limited real-world influence because many of its members have their own internal disputes, and one notable summit attendee, India’s prime minister, is not sticking around for the parade.