Putin, Xi Jinping headline summit with anti-Western stance

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping were due to attend a regional summit in Central Asia on Thursday that brings together many countries opposed to the West.

Putin and Xi meet regularly under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the latest session of which is being held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also present, his country being a “dialogue partner” of the bloc, whose full members include the former Soviet states of Central Asia, India, China, Russia and Iran.

On Wednesday, Putin held bilateral meetings with Erdogan and Xi ahead of the main session, telling the Chinese leader that the Shanghai alliance strengthened its role as “one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order.”

Both countries are speaking out against what they call “hegemony” led by the United States on the world stage.

Xi Jinping, criticized in the West for his growing support for Moscow, told Putin on Wednesday he was delighted to see his “old friend” again.

Erdogan also met Putin on the sidelines of the meeting on Wednesday, inviting him to visit Turkey and calling for a “just peace that can satisfy both sides” in Ukraine. The Turkish leader has sought to play a mediating role between the two warring countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not present.

– Competition with the West –

The SCO was founded in 2001 but has only grown in importance in recent years. Its nine full member countries are China, India, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

It is a platform for cooperation in competition with the West, focusing on security and economy.

A year after Iran, sanctioned by the West, joined as a full member, Belarus, also ostracized for its support for Russia's war in Ukraine, will become the 10th full member on Thursday.

In an interview with Kazakh media, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko praised the alliance for “demonstrating to the world that there are alternative international platforms, different centers of power.”

The alliance claims to represent 40 percent of the world's population and about 30 percent of its GDP, but it is a disparate group with many internal disagreements, including territorial disputes.

While Russia and China are united against Western domination, they are economic competitors in Central Asia, a region rich in oil and gas that also serves as a crucial transport route between Asia and Europe.

– Alternative routes –

The summit includes the Gulf states among its “dialogue partners” and, in a sign of its growing importance, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to address delegates on Thursday.

With the focus on security, Afghanistan could be a topic of discussion. The country has observer status in the SCO, but has been absent since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

None of the members have officially recognized the Taliban government, but China has appointed an ambassador to Kabul, Kazakhstan has removed the Taliban from its list of banned organizations and Moscow has said it will do the same.

But the main goal of the SCO is to strengthen economic ties between member countries and develop gigantic projects to connect China and Europe via Central Asia.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased major powers' interest in the region, where Moscow seeks to maintain its traditional influence but China now has strong ties through its flagship Belt and Road infrastructure project, while the West also vies for influence.

Western sanctions against Russia have blocked busy transport links between China and Europe and prompted the European Union to seek alternative routes, including through Central Asia.