In this photo provided by the North Korean government, from second left in front, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrive for a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Leaders pose for a group photo during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. September 01, 2025 (AFP)
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit held in the Chinese city of Tianjin this week placed the Arab region, particularly the Gulf, at the heart of the processes reshaping the balance of power in Eurasia. Presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, the summit further consolidated the new geopolitical realities in the Middle East, strengthening the diversification of alliances that allows states to avoid reliance on the US alone.
More than any other summit since the organization’s founding as a security framework in 2001 and its gradual expansion over a quarter of a century — it now represents nearly 40 percent of the world’s population — the Tianjin conference underscored the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s growing relevance for the Middle East. Indeed, Iran became a full member in 2023 and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt obtained “dialogue partner” status in 2022.
This shift has effectively made the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf a natural extension of the Eurasian bloc, positioning the region at the center of future trade routes, logistics and energy flows. In one sign of this new reality, 10 Gulf ports were ranked among the world’s 70 most efficient in 2024.
Most importantly, the principles of the Tianjin Declaration clearly resonate with the current mood in the Arab world, particularly on questions of sovereignty, noninterference and global governance reform.
Most importantly, the principles of the Tianjin Declaration clearly resonate with the current mood in the Arab world
Nadim Koteich
The declaration was unequivocal in rejecting tutelage or unilateral sanctions, positions deeply familiar to most Arab capitals, which have long been wary of Western pressure framed as a defense of democracy or human rights. The statement also made a striking call for granting developing countries, including Arab states, more weight within international institutions such as the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund.
These themes are inseparable from the summit’s long-standing push for equitable development, particularly debt relief. Yet, this year, the statement went further: calling for regulation of the field of artificial intelligence and technology transfers, while freeing them from political constraints that hinder many nations’ progress and exacerbate their economic crises.
In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls to accelerate de-dollarization, coupled with proposals to establish a development bank managed by the organization, were not merely slogans of a confrontation with the West. Rather, they reflect the emerging economic and geopolitical realities that have placed Gulf oil and gas at the heart of a multicurrency financial framework and a multipolar political order.
Nonetheless, this effort presents both challenges and opportunities for the Gulf states, which hold massive dollar-denominated surpluses exceeding $6 trillion in sovereign wealth fund assets and which export most of their energy in US dollars. However, it is one component of a deliberate repositioning strategy led by Gulf governments: diversifying their economies through multipronged initiatives, foremost among them linking China’s Belt and Road Initiative to maritime corridors through the Suez Canal and the Arabian Sea, thereby enhancing the strategic position of Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia as pivotal hubs in the emerging global trade map.
From this perspective, the summit’s rejection of what the leaders called a “Cold War mentality” is particularly significant, emphasizing the economic dimension of security in today’s world and underscoring the need for a shared security framework that addresses the concerns and interests of all parties. While the message was aimed primarily at Washington and NATO, it is also relevant for the Middle East, as the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran are intertwined with global power struggles and the multipolar contest around the US security umbrella in the region.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s rejection of a ‘Cold War mentality’ is particularly significant
Nadim Koteich
In this sense, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, alongside BRICS, brings Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran to the same table at a non-Western platform. It thereby offers space for creating a new framework for managing disputes without Western mediation, with all its biases, shortcomings and declining efficacy.
If Afghanistan has been a testing ground for the organization’s intentions, the Middle East will be the ultimate test of its ability to translate principles into material shifts that reshape spheres of influence and open the door to new actors to play a role in shaping regional security. All of that could pull Arab security out of the web of entrenched polarization.
The summit’s outcomes and its aspiration to affirm the end of US unipolarity are not merely academic abstractions to Arab states. They reflect the material realities that Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Cairo are navigating as they seek to balance relations with Washington, Beijing and Moscow.
Still, divergences within the organization persist, especially between China and India. Moreover, whether it has the capacity to evolve by translating statements into robust institutional frameworks remains an open question. These challenges do not, however, take anything away from the summit’s success in shaping a new geopolitical climate that lays the groundwork for an institutional alternative to the Western-dominated order.
The Tianjin summit is yet to develop a new global system but it has placed the Middle East at the center of this process, meaning that Arab actors’ roles, interests and choices are key to shaping the balance of the new era. From the ports of the Red Sea to the oil fields of the Gulf and from investment forums to negotiating tables, the region is asserting itself as an indispensable partner in crafting the world of tomorrow.
Nadim Koteich is the general manager of Sky News Arabia. X: @NadimKoteich
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News’ point of view
Amid global cuts in education funding, the UN agency for children (Unicef) has projected that an estimated six million additional children could be out of school worldwide by the end of 2026, with around one-third of them in humanitarian settings.
The projection was made in an new analysis, according to a Unicef press release issued on Wednesday, which said that the Official Development Assistance for education was estimated to fall by $3.2 billion — a 24 per cent drop from 2023 — with just three donor governments accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the cuts.
“Such a decline would push the number of out-of-school children worldwide from 272m to 278m — the equivalent of emptying every primary school in Germany and Italy combined,” it added.
The press release quoted Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell as saying, “Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision, it is a child’s future hanging in the balance.”
“Education, especially in emergency settings, often serves as a lifeline, connecting children to essential services like health, protection, and nutrition. It also provides the strongest opportunity for a child to escape poverty and build a better life,” she said.
The Unicef analysis showed that West and Central Africa face the “sharpest impact, with 1.9m children at risk of losing out”, while the Middle East and North Africa could face “an increase of 1.4m out-of-school children”, alongside major rollbacks in all other regions.
Moreover, 28 countries were projected to lose at least a quarter of the education assistance for pre-primary, primary, and secondary schooling. “Among them, Ivory Coast and Mali face some of the greatest risks, with enrolment at risk of declining by 4pc — equivalent to 340,000 and 180,000 students, respectively,” the press release said.
The analysis concluded that primary education would be hit the hardest, with funding set to fall by a third, “deepening the learning crisis and putting affected children at risk of losing an estimated $164bn in lifetime earnings”.
It further underlined that in humanitarian settings, “where education goes beyond learning, offering life-saving support, stability, and a sense of normalcy for traumatised children, funding could drop sharply – in some cases, cutting the equivalent of at least 10 per cent of the national education budget.
“For example, in Unicef’s Rohingya refugee response, 350,000 children risk losing access to basic education permanently. Without urgent funding, education centres may close, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation, child labour, and trafficking.
“Essential services such as school feeding programmes, sometimes a child’s only nutritious meal of the day, could see funding slashed by more than half, while support for girls’ education is also set to decline significantly,” the press release read.
Moreover, it was pointed out that “wide cuts at the system level will also undermine governments’ ability to make evidence-based plans, adequately support teacher development, and monitor learning outcomes.”
This means that even children who remain in school could see their learning suffer, with at least 290m students across all regions projected to face a decline in education quality, the press release said.
Unicef urged donor and partner countries to “act now to protect education by rebalancing education assistance to be more equitable and effective with a minimum of 50pc directed to least developed countries; safeguarding humanitarian education funding and prioritising education as a lifesaving intervention alongside other essential services; focusing education assistance on foundational learning, concentrating on early childhood and primary education where the returns are the highest; simplifying global financing architecture in line with the UN80 Initiative to improve efficiencies; and expanding innovative financing without replacing core funding to education”.
“Investing in children’s education is one of the best investments in the future — for everyone,” the press release quoted Russell as saying. “Countries do better when their children are educated and healthy, and it contributes to a more stable and prosperous world.”
Benjamin Netanyahu scraps sovereignty plan for W. Bank from meeting | The Jerusalem Post
The Thursday discussion will focus on the security situation in the West Bank, in light of the upcoming UN General Assembly, where several countries will recognize Palestinian statehood.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Newsmax event in Jerusalem, on August 13, 2025. (photo credit: SHALEV SHALOM/POOL)ByAMICHAI STEINUpdated:
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin discussed life-prolonging organ transplants and immortality as they chatted before Beijing’s massive military parade this week, in comments picked up by state media microphones.
Historic images showed Xi shaking hands and speaking with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as they walked down a red carpet by Tiananmen Square, in scenes viewed as a challenge to US President Donald Trump.
“These days… 70 years old,” Xi said in Mandarin as he walked beside Putin and Kim, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed.
Xi’s translator, conveying his remarks to Putin, is then heard in Russian quoting a line from a Tang dynasty poem: “In the past, it used to be rare for someone to be older than 70 and these days they say that at 70 one’s still a child.”
Putin then turned towards Xi, speaking while gesturing with his hands, though this is inaudible on the CCTV feed.
The same Chinese translator then relayed Putin’s remarks to Xi.
“With the… development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, people could get younger as they grow older, and may even become immortal,” Putin said, according to the translator.
Xi then spoke again in Mandarin as the camera cut away: “Predictions are, in this century, it may be… possible to live to 150 years old.”
Putin confirmed the exchange during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“Ah, I think it was when we were going to the parade that the Chairman spoke about this,” he told reporters, referring to Xi.
“Modern means — both health improvement and medical means, and then even all kinds of surgical ones related to organ replacement — allow humanity to hope that active life will continue not as it does today,” Putin added.
The Chinese and Russian leaders, both 72, have not expressed any intention of stepping down.
While Xi’s predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao relinquished power after 10 years in office, he abolished term limits in 2018 and in 2023 was handed a third term as Chinese president.
Hot Mic catches Xi and Putin’s bizarre chat about immortality and organ harvesting during live video feed. pic.twitter.com/C5EBESlZmn
JAKARTA: Indonesian students will stage protests at the parliament building in the capital Jakarta on Thursday, a student group said, as a proposed meeting with the government on massive demonstrations that have left 10 people dead was yet to materialise.
Led by students, workers and rights groups, last week’s protests over police violence and state spending priorities spread across the world’s third-largest democracy after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver.
The demonstrations have at times turned violent. Rights groups said 10 people have died and over 1,000 people were injured in incidents of looting and rioting.
Rights groups have condemned the use of force by security forces.
The coalition of student bodies, known locally as BEM SI, said ahead of Thursday’s protest that “the people’s anxiety isn’t due to protests on the street, but it’s due to corruption and the politicisation of the law.”
Ten student unions met with parliamentarians on Wednesday.
They called for an independent investigation into police violence, while drawing a contrast between generous benefits for lawmakers and the economic hardship faced by most Indonesians.
The deputy house speaker offered them a chance to meet with the government on Thursday but BEM SI leader Muzammil Ihsan said there had been no follow-up on the invitation.
The protests have been called for by several Indonesian student bodies with varying and at times unaligned interests.
Workers with the union Gebrak will also stage a demonstration in Jakarta on Thursday against the heavy-handed security response and demand the release of those detained.
Indonesian authorities have detained over 3,000 people in a nationwide crackdown, New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
“Indonesian authorities should not respond to protests over government policies by using excessive force and wrongfully locking up demonstrators,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director of the group.
President Prabowo Subianto has said the military and police would stand firm against violent mobs, and that some of the unrest bore the signs of terrorism and treason.
