Xi, Putin Take Aim at West at SCO Summit Amid China’s Efforts to Shape Regional Security

Tianjin: Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin took turns criticizing the West on Monday during a gathering of Eurasian leaders, highlighting Beijing’s growing role in regional affairs.

The meeting was part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which positions itself as a non-Western alternative to traditional alliances among its 10 member countries.

Xi addressed leaders, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing the global situation as increasingly “chaotic and intertwined.” He also condemned “bullying behaviour” from certain countries, a veiled reference to the United States.

“The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging,” Xi said in Tianjin. “With the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit…and better perform the functions of the organisation.”

Putin used his speech to defend Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, blaming the West for provoking the three-and-a-half-year conflict that has caused tens of thousands of deaths and devastated eastern Ukraine.

“This crisis wasn’t triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West,” he said.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry urged China to play a role in promoting peace during Putin’s visit, calling on Beijing to help find a resolution “based on respect for the UN Charter.” Putin, meanwhile, praised Turkey’s mediation efforts in the conflict during talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also met with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, with discussions expected to cover Iran’s nuclear program.

Earlier, leaders from China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus posed for a group photo on a red carpet. Xi, Putin, and Modi were seen chatting with translators present, while Modi and Putin were photographed holding hands during their afternoon talks. Russian state media reported the two spent nearly an hour speaking “face-to-face” in Putin’s armored presidential car before an official meeting.

“Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi wrote on X alongside a photograph of the car meeting. Before the meeting, he praised the “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Moscow and expressed India’s desire for both sides in the Ukraine conflict to “find stable peace.”

The SCO summit, which began Sunday, comes days before a massive military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II. The member states signed a declaration on Monday agreeing to strengthen cooperation in security and economic sectors, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. The summit also welcomed Laos as an observer country, or “dialogue partner,” bringing the total number of observers to 16.

Xi held a series of back-to-back meetings with leaders, including Lukashenko and Modi. Modi emphasized that India is committed to advancing ties with China “based on mutual trust, dignity, and sensitivity.”

Despite intense rivalry and a deadly border clash in 2020, the two most populous nations have begun a rapprochement, which started last October when Modi met Xi for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia. This thaw deepened as both nations faced trade pressures from former US President Donald Trump.

More than 20 leaders attended the bloc’s largest meeting since its founding in 2001. Many will travel to Beijing on Wednesday to watch the military parade, which will also be attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A train carrying Kim entered China early Tuesday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing North Korea’s state-run radio.

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