Chinese President Xi Jinping started on Monday a summit attended by more than 20 world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leaders from the ten Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries posed for a group photo on a red carpet, and Xi, Putin and Modi were seen chatting on live footage.
Addressing the gathering, President Jinping criticised what he described as a “bullying behaviour” in the world order as he gathered regional leaders for a summit. He called on the leaders — including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi — to “adhere to fairness and justice… oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour”, in a speech in the northern city of Tianjin.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is gathering for a two-day summit, comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”. China and Russia have sometimes touted the SCO as an alternative to the NATO military alliance. “The current international situation is becoming chaotic and intertwined,” Xi told the leaders. “The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging,” he added.
“Looking back, despite tumultuous times, we have achieved success by practicing the Shanghai spirit,” he said, referring to the name of the group. “Looking to the future, with the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit, keep our feet on the ground, forge ahead, and better perform the functions of the organisation.”
