Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi to Attend Summit in Kyrgyzstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, alongside more than a dozen other leaders, are set to convene in Kyrgyzstan for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday. The SCO, celebrating its 25-year anniversary, is a regional bloc that aims to counterbalance Western influence.

The summit will take place four-and-a-half years into Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and six months after the US and Iran engaged in a war. Iran will be represented by its president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Along with the formal members – Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian countries – Turkey, Belarus, and several dialogue partners such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also expected to attend.

While the SCO's primary focus historically has been economic, it has gained prominence in recent years under the leadership of Moscow and Beijing. The summit comes amid ongoing wars and trade disputes, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran and the US-imposed secondary sanctions on Iran. Iran's president has acknowledged his country's economic difficulties but remains firm in the face of US and European sanctions.

The SCO's members, representing a significant portion of the world's population and GDP, have diverse interests and occasionally clash, particularly between Russia and China over influence in Central Asia.