Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive in Tianjin on Sunday for a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The gathering will bring together leaders from approximately 20 nations, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Central Asian states, making it the largest meeting for the bloc since its founding in 2001.
This summit takes place just days before China is set to stage a military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Putin Backs ‘Multipolar’ Global Order
In an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency, Putin stated that the summit would “strengthen the SCO’s capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats” and promote “a fairer multipolar world order.”
The SCO, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian states, is often viewed as a counterweight to NATO and Western-led alliances.
China and Russia Promote an Alternative Bloc
Analysts say the meeting highlights Beijing and Moscow’s efforts to expand their influence amid strained ties with the U.S. and Europe. According to Dylan Loh of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “China has long sought to present the SCO as a non-Western-led power bloc,” describing it as “a Chinese-inflected multilateral order.”
More than 20 heads of state are attending, including Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, which observers say underscores Beijing’s growing international clout.
Diplomacy on the Sidelines
On Saturday, Xi met with Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Cambodia’s Hun Manet, with additional bilateral talks anticipated. Putin is scheduled to meet with Erdogan and Pezeshkian on Monday to discuss the war in Ukraine and Iran’s nuclear program.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also arrived in Tianjin on Saturday, marking his first visit to China since 2018. The trip comes amid trade tensions with the U.S. and a cautious warming of relations with Beijing following the 2020 border clashes.
