Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian PM Narendra Modi have arrived in China to red carpet welcomes, joining more than 20 leaders at a regional security summit.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the port of Tianjin comes days before a major military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II.
Modi – visiting China for the first time in seven years – had talks with Xi ahead of the opening of the summit and said Delhi was keen to improve ties with its neighbour.
The gathering comes with steep US tariffs imposed on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, and with Putin facing threats of sanctions over the war on Ukraine.
Modi told Xi that India pledged to take “forward our ties on the basis of mutual trust, dignity and sensitivity”, according to a video Modi posted on X.
“The interests of 2.8 billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity,” Modi told Xi.
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There are 10 member states in the Beijing backed SCO – including Pakistan, Iran and Belarus – as well as 16 dialogue partners and observers.
The summit itself is largely symbolic but will allow leaders to air common grievances and shared interests – and this year the gathering will be overshadowed by trade wars with the US.
President Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on India last week appears to have helped improve relations between New Delhi and Beijing, which had plummeted in 2020 over a deadly skirmish between border forces in the Himalayas.
The SCO organisation was created by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries in 2001 as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as Nato.
This year’s gathering is the largest since the organisation was founded.
The meeting comes days before the massive military parade that will mark 80 years since the end of World War II.