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Chinese and Russian leaders to meet in Uzbekistan 9/15/2022 2:21:18 PM From left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries on the sideline of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, Sept. 5, 2017. photo: AP/ Wu Hong kurdsatnews A one-on-one bilateral summit will be held Thursday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Later, Xi and Putin in Samarkand, the main stop on the ancient Silk Road, will be joined by leaders of India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and other countries to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which officially begins on Friday and would last for two days. The bilateral meeting between the Chinese and Russian presidents is gaining great international attention, amid the aggravating tension between the West on one side and Moscow and Beijing on the other. While this meeting constitutes something of a challenge to the West, for Putin, who is trying to accelerate the process of refocusing his attention towards Asia in the face of Western sanctions imposed on his country, it is also an opportunity to show that Moscow is not isolated on the world stage. As for Xi, who is in Central Asia on his first visit outside China since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, he may be able to consolidate his position before the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party scheduled for October, during which he will seek a third new term, according to AFP. Through his meeting, he will also send a warning message to Washington, which has recently been provoking Beijing through its visits and support for the semi-autonomous island of Taiwan, despite the fact that China, which supports Moscow, has not yet positioned itself seriously in the Russian camp, and has maintained a fine thread in its relationship with Washington. For example, so far Beijing has not sent weapons to Moscow, and has even repeatedly denied accusations of this kind. "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization offers a real alternative to Western-oriented structures," Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin's diplomatic advisor, told reporters last Tuesday frankly. He also stressed that it is the largest organization in the world, as it includes half of the planet's population and works for a just international order. In addition to Putin's meeting with Xi, he will also meet separately today with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose country wants to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. On Friday, he will also hold two separate meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is noteworthy that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, was established in 2001 as a tool for political, economic and security cooperation to compete with Western organizations. But it is neither a military alliance like NATO nor a political integration organization like the European Union, though, its members work together to meet common security challenges and boost trade.

Chinese and Russian leaders to meet in Uzbekistan

9/15/2022 2:21:18 PM

From left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries on the sideline of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, Sept. 5, 2017.

photo: AP/ Wu Hong

kurdsatnews

A one-on-one bilateral summit will be held Thursday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

Later, Xi and Putin in Samarkand, the main stop on the ancient Silk Road, will be joined by leaders of India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and other countries to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which officially begins on Friday and would last for two days.

The bilateral meeting between the Chinese and Russian presidents is gaining great international attention, amid the aggravating tension between the West on one side and Moscow and Beijing on the other.

While this meeting constitutes something of a challenge to the West, for Putin, who is trying to accelerate the process of refocusing his attention towards Asia in the face of Western sanctions imposed on his country, it is also an opportunity to show that Moscow is not isolated on the world stage.

As for Xi, who is in Central Asia on his first visit outside China since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, he may be able to consolidate his position before the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party scheduled for October, during which he will seek a third new term, according to AFP.

Through his meeting, he will also send a warning message to Washington, which has recently been provoking Beijing through its visits and support for the semi-autonomous island of Taiwan, despite the fact that China, which supports Moscow, has not yet positioned itself seriously in the Russian camp, and has maintained a fine thread in its relationship with Washington.

For example, so far Beijing has not sent weapons to Moscow, and has even repeatedly denied accusations of this kind.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization offers a real alternative to Western-oriented structures," Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin's diplomatic advisor, told reporters last Tuesday frankly.

He also stressed that it is the largest organization in the world, as it includes half of the planet's population and works for a just international order.

In addition to Putin's meeting with Xi, he will also meet separately today with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose country wants to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

On Friday, he will also hold two separate meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It is noteworthy that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, was established in 2001 as a tool for political, economic and security cooperation to compete with Western organizations.

But it is neither a military alliance like NATO nor a political integration organization like the European Union, though, its members work together to meet common security challenges and boost trade.