Putin and Xi Prepare to Meet at Kyrgyzstan Summit as Global Tensions Mount

Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov welcomed China’s President Xi Jinping in Bishkek ahead of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and more than a dozen other leaders are gathering in Kyrgyzstan for the event. While the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has traditionally focused on economic issues, President Putin and President Xi have used the summit to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.

Although the group's founding declaration states it is not an alliance directed against other states, tensions remain high. At last year’s gathering, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the Ukraine war, while Xi denounced acts of intimidation amid US-Chinese tensions.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also expected to attend, even though Turkiye is not a member. Pezeshkian is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Putin in Bishkek following previous foreign minister meetings in July. Iran officially joined the bloc in 2023.

Alongside the SCO’s 10 permanent members, 15 additional states are connected as dialogue partners, including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The leaders of India and Pakistan are also expected to attend the summit, which marks 25 years since the organization was founded and represents roughly 40 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of global GDP.

The meeting comes shortly after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans to encourage G20 members to re-examine trade terms with China, criticizing Beijing’s $1.2 trillion global trade surplus as unsustainable amid a weak domestic economy. Bessent also noted plans for a bilateral meeting with People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng during the G20 conference.