Xi and Putin meet in Bishkek during SCO summit
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago1 MIN
Summary
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as both leaders attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. The meeting was expected to address the further development of bilateral cooperation as well as international issues.
Key Points
- Putin held talks with Xi in Bishkek on Monday, 31, during the leaders' visit to Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
- Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin would hold nine bilateral meetings during the summit, calling the Xi meeting a very important one for Moscow.
- Ushakov said the Xi-Putin meeting was the two leaders' second face-to-face contact of the year, and Putin would also meet Narendra Modi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Russia is due to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2027-2028, after Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.
- Outside observers had expected one focus of the talks to be the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project aimed at expanding Russian gas sales to China.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the meeting is a reminder that China-Russia coordination remains active at a time of shifting energy flows and geopolitical tensions. Russia's push to deepen access to the Chinese market after its gas exports to Europe fell sharply following the Russia-Ukraine war could affect regional energy and diplomatic calculations.