Tianjin: China welcomed world leaders as they arrived for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit Sunday in Tianjin. The two-day gathering will bring together leaders from more than 20 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to Deutsche Welle, the SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners.” This marks Modi’s first visit to China since 2018, with talks planned with Xi Jinping as relations between the neighbors show tentative signs of thawing after a 2020 border clash. Recent tariff spats with the United States have served to bring the two rivals together.
Meanwhile, Modi held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, discussing the restoration of peace and stability in the region ahead of his key meeting with Putin. Multiple bilateral meetings are expected on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
Putin is expected to meet Turkish President Erdogan to discuss the Ukraine conflict, while also holding talks with Iranian official Pezeshkian on Iran’s nuclear program. Britain, France, and Germany moved last week to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran. Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned on Friday that the reimposition of sanctions against Iran could lead to “irreparable consequences.”
The summit will be followed by a military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II, with some 26 world leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, expected to attend.