Xi and Putin Round on West at Regional Summit in China

AFP/APP

Tianjin: Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin took aim at the West on Monday during a gathering of Eurasian leaders, positioning Beijing at the centre of regional diplomacy through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The SCO, which brings together 10 member states, presents itself as a non-Western platform for cooperation and an alternative to traditional alliances.

Addressing leaders including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi warned that the global environment was becoming increasingly “chaotic and intertwined.” He denounced “bullying behaviour” from certain countries—a thinly veiled reference to the United States—and stressed that “security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging.”

“With the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit and better perform the functions of the organisation,” he said in the northern port city of Tianjin.

Putin used his speech to defend Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, blaming the West for the three-and-a-half-year conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and devastated eastern Ukraine. “This crisis wasn’t triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West,” he asserted.

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Ukraine’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, urged Beijing to take a more active role in peace efforts during Putin’s visit, stating that Kyiv “would welcome a more active role” from China to help achieve peace “based on respect for the UN Charter.”

Putin also praised Turkey’s mediation efforts in talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and later met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with the Kremlin saying the two leaders were expected to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.

Earlier, leaders from China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus posed for a group photo on a red carpet. Xi, Putin, and Modi were seen chatting alongside translators, with Modi and Putin photographed holding hands before holding bilateral talks in the afternoon. Russian state media reported that the two leaders spent nearly an hour in private conversation inside Putin’s armoured car before their official meeting.

“Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi later posted on X, alongside a photo of their drive. He described India’s partnership with Moscow as a “special and privileged strategic partnership” while reiterating New Delhi’s desire for both sides in the Ukraine war to “find stable peace.”

The SCO summit began Sunday, days ahead of a massive military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II. According to China’s Xinhua news agency, member states signed a declaration on Monday pledging to deepen cooperation in areas including security and the economy. The bloc also admitted Laos as a dialogue partner, adding to its 16 observers.

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Xi held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines, including with Lukashenko and Modi. The Indian leader, on his first visit to China since 2018, told Xi that India was committed to advancing ties “on the basis of mutual trust, dignity, and sensitivity.”

Despite rivalry between the two Asian giants—who clashed along their disputed border in 2020—their leaders have sought to thaw relations since October last year, when they met in Russia for the first time in five years. Their engagement has gained momentum amid growing US trade pressures under former President Donald Trump.

More than 20 leaders are attending this year’s summit, the largest since the SCO was founded in 2001. Many dignitaries are also expected in Beijing on Wednesday to witness the military parade, which will include North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim departed Pyongyang by train Monday afternoon and is due to arrive Tuesday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.