Today is the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where China, Russia, India and other members meet one-on-one. SCO is an annual summit where the members can talk trade, region security and discuss the relations between members. The cooperation was first formed in 2001, with five member states and now includes 10 Eurasian member states and 16 more observers and “dialogue partners”.
Here are the four things that have happened or are going to happen at this year’s summit that you need to know about.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in China for the first time in seven years.
The relations between the two most populated countries have been tense over the border conflicts in the Himalayas for half a century. China has traditionally backed up Pakistan in the conflict with Indian over the Kashmir region. But yesterday, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed increasing the bilateral trade, easing tension in the Himalayas where the deadly border clashes occurred in 2020 and reaffirmed being “development partners, not rivals”.
“It is the right choice for both sides to be friends who have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Xi said.
Modi confirmed that direct flights between India and China are going to resume after a five-year-long pause.
Russian and Chinese president met, but the discussion wasn’t disclosed to the public.
This is the ninth time Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have met in person in the last three years, but all we have seen so far from this meeting is a video by Russian state-controlled media showing the two presidents shaking hands.
Putin will meet Xi at least once more as he was announced to attend the celebration for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which will take place on September 3rd. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will also be present at the celebration.
Russia and India drawing closer over Trump’s new tariffs.
Putin and Modi are expected to discuss their response to Trump’s tariffs, as the US has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods for buying Russian oil last Wednesday. After that, Modi is going to return to India.
For the last ten years, American diplomats have been working on bringing India closer to Washington. Now, some experts assume that Trump’s tariffs push New Delhi to China and Russia.
Russian envoy to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, has shared on X a photo of Modi, Xi and Putin together.
“Witnessing formation of qualitatively new system of international relations,” he wrote.
Other important upcoming meetings.
Today is the second and the last day of the SCO summit. Putin will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to reportedly discuss the nuclear program and the war in Ukraine. Also, the presidents of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and others will hold meetings primarily to discuss trade deals and cooperation in the region.
Possibly, giving Armenia and Azerbaijan a member status to SCO may also be discussed.
Photo: Xi Jinping, found HERE and used under Creative Common Licence. The image has not been modified.
