Chinese president hosts bilateral meetings on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin
Chinese president hosts bilateral meetings on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin
The leaders of more than two dozen nations arrived in China on Sunday for a showpiece summit that seeks to challenge US-led, western-dominated blocs.
Xi Jinping personally welcomed several leaders, including the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Xi is also expected to hold talks with Vladimir Putin, with whom he is closely allied under what they have termed a “limitless” partnership.
The bilateral meetings are being held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The SCO is a 10-member block of Eurasian nations, and the summit is also being attended by the leaders of 16 observer or “dialogue partner” nations.
Putin and several other attenders are expected to stay on for a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China refers to as the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is also expected to attend.
The summit is Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, and comes amid efforts by China and India to rebuild trade ties and resolve long-running Himalayan border disputes.
“We are committed to progressing our relations based on mutual respect, trust and sensitivities,” Modi said after meeting Xi.
The Tianjin summit is the largest held by the bloc since it was formed in 2001. The SCO is a key part of Beijing’s push for stronger multilateral alternatives to western or US-led blocs such as Nato.
