Putin Arrives in China for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

SadaNews - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived today, Sunday, in the city of Tianjin in northern China to attend a regional summit hosted by his counterpart Xi Jinping, with approximately 20 world leaders participating.

Putin, along with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be among the 20 world leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit scheduled for Sunday and Monday in Tianjin.

Some of them, including Putin and Raisi, have been invited to extend their stay until Wednesday to attend a massive military parade in Beijing celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and victory over Japan.

On this occasion, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make a rare visit outside his country to meet Xi in neighboring China.

North Korea has become one of Russia's key allies in its war against Ukraine. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies confirm that North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

It remains uncertain whether talks will be held between the Russian and North Korean presidents who will attend the military parade together.

Putin is scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday after discussing the conflict in Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart in Tianjin on Monday and the nuclear file with his Iranian counterpart. He is also expected to meet with the Indian Prime Minister on the same day.

Many allies of Kyiv suspect that Beijing supports Moscow against Ukraine, but China insists it maintains neutrality and accuses Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

The Chinese president described relations with Russia on Tuesday as "the most strategically important among major countries" in an "unstable and changing" world.

For his part, Putin stated to the Xinhua News Agency that the summit "will enhance the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's capacity to face the challenges posed by the contemporary world and the threats it presents, and strengthen solidarity in the common Eurasian space."

Ahead of the summit, Chinese praises of multilateralism intensified, with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization being presented as a model for it, away from "Cold War mentalities and outdated geopolitical confrontation concepts" according to Xinhua, in unmistakable hints directed at Americans and their Western allies.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization includes 10 member states and 16 observer or partner countries, representing nearly half the world's population and 23.5% of the global GDP. It is promoted as a balancing force to NATO.

This summit is considered the most significant for the organization since its founding in 2001, amid multiple crises directly affecting its members: the trade confrontation between the U.S., China, and India, the war in Ukraine, and the Iranian nuclear dispute...

However, there are also disagreements within the organization. China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, compete for influence in South Asia and engaged in a deadly border clash in 2020. However, they are currently working to strengthen their relations, especially with the U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on both countries.

The Indian Prime Minister arrived in Tianjin on Saturday for his first visit to China since 2018. He is not among the leaders who announced their attendance at the military parade on Wednesday.