Asian leaders gather amid China’s efforts to expand influence
The summit marks the bloc’s 25th anniversary as leaders discuss security, trade and sanctions pressure on Iran.
- On Monday, August 31, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gathered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit marking the bloc's 25th anniversary.
- Founded as the 'Shanghai Five' in 1996, the SCO now encompasses 10 nations representing 40 percent of the global population and serves as a counterweight to Western influence, offering sanctioned members a platform to strengthen ties.
- During bilateral meetings, Putin and Xi discussed making their visa-free regime permanent after tourist traffic surged 43 percent in the first half of 2026; Putin and Pezeshkian focused on Middle East tensions.
- Negotiations for the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline remain stalled over pricing disputes, while international relations expert Mohammad Hassan Najmi told AFP that 'in times of crisis, these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties.'
- Following the summit, Putin is scheduled to travel to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum on September 1, signaling Moscow's pivot to secure economic interests in the Pacific as the SCO evolves into an Eurasia-centric platform.
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Xi, Putin and Modi gather as China builds its counterweight to American power - The Daily Bo Snerdley
BS BULLETIN: China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi are among the leaders gathering in Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. China and Russia increasingly use the 10-nation organization to promote a “multipolar” world less dominated by the United States and its Western allies. Iran’s president is attending while his country is actively fighting the United States and Israel — although India an…
China's head of state and party Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin have emphasized their cooperation in Kyrgyzstan in the difficult times for Moscow due to Western sanctions. According to Moscow, the cooperation is developing successfully in economic and all other respects. This is said by a highly confident Putin at the meeting with Xi in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. There, the Central Asian Republic celebrated its 35th anniversary…
Putin proposes permanent visa-free travel between Russia and China
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to work with China to make their visa-free travel regime permanent. He made the remark at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek.
Il Tempo
Quotidiano NazionaleMilan, 31 Aug. (askanews) - Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping strengthen the axis between Russia and China. The two leaders met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, which brings together a dozen Heads of State and aims to represent a political and economic counterweight to the West. At an international stage marked by strong tensions, Putin indicated precisely in his relations with Beijing a model…
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