Putin, Russia's leader, visits Tianjin, China, for a meeting focused on security matters.
China Hosts SCO Summit, Gathering World Leaders in Tianjin
Chinese President Xi Jinping is playing host to around 20 world leaders in the port city of Tianjin, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gathering is for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which took place from August 31 to September 1, 2025.
The SCO summit is being presented as a show of unity among the so-called "Global South". China, with President Xi Jinping as the host, invited leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, making it the largest gathering since the bloc was founded in 2001.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was also in attendance, marking an unusual trip for him. His visit began with a red-carpet welcome, and he denounced Western trade restrictions in an interview with China's Xinhua news agency. Putin and Xi are known to jointly oppose "discriminatory" sanctions, according to Putin.
The SCO, now counting 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue or observer states, has expanded to cover economic and military cooperation. The hostility towards Western sanctions is a reflection of the growing alliance between China and Russia.
Xi is expected to use the summit to promote an alternative to a U.S.-led global order. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV described ties between Beijing and Moscow as the "best in history" and "the most stable, mature, and strategically significant among major countries".
As Russia's economy, weighed down by curbs and the cost of the conflict, is close to recession, Xi is also expected to give Russia a diplomatic boost. The SCO summit in Tianjin marks a significant moment in the evolving relationship between China and Russia, two major global powers.
