By Deutsche Welle
03 Jul 2024, 19:11 PM EDT
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping praised their efforts to strengthen their anti-Western alliance in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a summit where they also seek to increase their influence in Central Asia.
Putin and Xi met in Astana, the capital of Central Asia’s largest economy, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will be held on Thursday.
This regional bloc, led by Beijing and covering Central Asia, India and Iran, is conceived as a platform for cooperation vis-à-vis Western organisations.
“Relationship, partnership and cooperation at a great moment”
“Russian-Chinese relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation are going through the best period in their history,” Putin said in televised remarks ahead of the bilateral meeting.
Speaking about the SCO, the Russian leader said that it had “established itself as one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order,” using language that is common in Moscow’s criticism of the West.
For his part, Xi told Putin in brief opening remarks that Moscow and Beijing need to continue to uphold the original aspiration of bilateral friendship “in the face of turbulent international situations.”
The meeting between Putin and Xi comes a month and a half after the Russian leader traveled to China to seek further support for his invasion of Ukraine.
The SCO represents 40% of the world’s population and around 30% of the world’s GDP.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his “unwavering support” for the invasion of Ukraine during a summit between the two in Pyongyang, where a new bilateral strategic partnership agreement is expected to be signed.
“Russia appreciates the DPRK’s consistent and unwavering support for Russian policies, including in relation to Ukraine,” Putin said at the start of his meeting with Kim.
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