Putin and Xi Jinping likely to meet at regional Summit in Uzbekistan next month: Report

Nearly six months after they meet in-person, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet at a regional summit in mid-September in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. According to the sources of the Wall Street Journal, the preparation for Jinping's visit to Uzbek has already been started in China. Though the Chinese official did not confirm any tour of Xi Jinping outside Beijing, the sources familiar with the trip claimed he would visit on September 15. Besides, the US media sources affirmed that the officials have also started bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. Earlier in February, both leaders met during the Winter Olympics in China-- days before the onset of war against Ukraine.

"A trip to Samarkand would underline Xi’s goal of cultivating tighter security relationships with countries that aren’t US allies as a bulwark against Western efforts to contain China," Chinese officials told WSJ. The same was reported by the Russian news agency, TASS, in June about Putin's plan to travel to Uzbekistan. However, the report did not mention any possibility of meeting with the Chinese leader. It is also expected that the leaders of India, Pakistan, and Turkey are also making plans to attend the meeting in person. 

Putin and Xi Jinping could meet US President Joe Biden in November 

Moreover, if leaders of China and Russia meet with other countries, it is expected that they will discuss the ongoing tensions between the US and Taiwan which arose after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei earlier in the first week of this month, reported WSJ. After completing a tour to Uzbekistan, both leaders are also expected to be at the G20 summit in Bali in November. It is expected that the US President, Joe Biden, will also take part in the meeting. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said he would participate remotely.

Image: AP