Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin likely to meet on sidelines of SCO summit in Uzbekistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic and security forum. He will travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this month, the central Asian governments announced in a statement. “At the invitation of the head of state, a state visit of the chairman of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Kazakhstan is planned for  September,” Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman Aybek Smadiyarov said in an official communique.

China's Xi will travel to Uzbekistan

According to the Republic of Kazakhstan, China's Xi will travel to Uzbekistan to attend the forum that will be held in Samarkand on September 15 and 16. He is expected to meet with his ally Vladimir Putin to reaffirm Beijing's ties with Russia and pledge support during the war with Ukraine. Chinese president's visit to countries of the Central Asian region comes following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month which escalated geopolitical tensions between the two adversaries.

The summit will be the first ever to be attended in person by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic during which, the PRC adhered to a strict zero-Covid policy. At this time, it remains unclear whether Xi will travel to Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan first during his Central Asian tour. Xi's visit comes just days ahead of his appointment as head of the Chinese Communist party and the Central Military Commission. His appointment at the 20th party congress on October 16 will secure Xi Jinping the third term as president of China. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation forum along with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. PM Modi attended the SCO Summit via video link last year on September 17, 2021, in Dushanbe. India's Prime Minister underscored the issues caused by the growing radicalisation and extremism in the broader SCO region, which runs counter to the history of the region as a bastion of moderate and progressive cultures and values. He iterated that the SCO could work on an agenda to promote moderation and scientific and rational thought, which would be especially relevant for the youth of the region. Further, he noted India's experience of using digital technologies in its development programmes and offered to share these open-source solutions with other SCO members.