Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping praised their Eurasian security club, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as a force for global stability at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The SCO, founded in 2001 with Russia, China, and Central Asian nations, has expanded to include India, Iran, and Pakistan to counter Western influence. Putin emphasized that the SCO is a key pillar of a fair, multipolar world order, and bilateral ties between Russia and China are at their best in history.
Xi called Putin an “old friend” and highlighted the progress made in bilateral relations between China and Russia. The leaders believe the U.S.-dominated post-Cold War era is ending, with the U.S. seeing China as a competitor and Russia as a threat. The SCO focuses on external security threats like drug trafficking and domestic instability.
During the summit, Putin also met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the presidents of Azerbaijan and Mongolia. India was represented by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend. Xi and Putin have deepened relations since declaring a “no limits” partnership in 2022.
In a pragmatic economic move, China promoted the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, an alternative to the Asia-Europe land transit via Russia. Belarus attended the summit as a full member of the SCO for the first time, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also attended.
Overall, the SCO summit highlighted cooperation between Russia and China, as well as the organization’s role in promoting stability in the Eurasian region and countering Western influence.
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