Russia and China presidents to meet at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan on Monday. The SCO, which has traditionally focused on economic matters, has also become a platform for the two leaders to advance their vision of a multipolar world and counter the West.

The SCO's founding charter asserts that the organization is "not an alliance directed against other states"; however, last year's gathering saw Putin blame Western countries for sparking the Ukraine conflict, while Xi condemned "acts of intimidation" in reference to US-China tensions. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also expected to attend, though the latter is not a member of the SCO.

Pezeshkian is set to meet with Putin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, during bilateral talks. Iran became a full member of the SCO in 2023 and maintains strong military ties with Russia and energy connections with China. In addition to the SCO's ten core members, another fifteen states are considered dialogue partners, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Indian and Pakistani leaders, both full SCO members, are also anticipated to be present. The SCO reports representing approximately 40% of the global population and 25% of world GDP. This year marks the organization's 25th anniversary. The summit occurs shortly after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on G20 members to reassess their trade relations with China, criticizing Beijing's $1.2 trillion (Ksh154.8 trillion) global trade surplus as unsustainable.

Bessent argued that China's economy is struggling and needs to rebalance, suggesting a meeting with People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng during the G20 conference in the United States.