President Xi Jinping hosts Russian, Iranian leaders among others as Tehran urges more talks after US nuclear deal exit.
China is hosting a two-day regional security summit attended by Russia, Iran and other allies confronting rising tensions with the United States over trade and its unilateral withdrawal from a multinational nuclear deal with Iran.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday opened the 18th annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – an eight-member grouping led by Beijing and Moscow – in the coastal city of Qingdao.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those attending, as were representatives from four ex-Soviet Central Asian republics – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Delivering his opening remarks on Saturday, Chinese leader Xi said: “Tomorrow we will hold the first summit of the SCO after its expansion and draw up a blueprint for its future growth.”
“The Qingdao summit is a new departure point for us,” he added. “Together let us hoist the Shanghai spirit, break waves and embark on a new journey for our organisation.”
Trade, investment and development cooperation issues will feature prominently at the SCO meeting.
