Image Credentials: Image Title: Xi Jinping Positions China as a Global Alternative While Hosting Putin at SCO Summit Source: (Sora.ChatGpt) Date: August 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Sora.ChatGpt), this does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday in Tianjin, presenting China as a stabilizing global force and an alternative center of power during the latest summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The gathering, which runs through Monday, brings together leaders from across the so-called Global South, underscoring Beijing’s ambition to expand its influence on the world stage.
According to the Kremlin, Xi and Putin also discussed the Russian leader’s upcoming meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump, though no details were disclosed. State media footage highlighted the symbolic embrace between the two leaders, who have increasingly sought to deepen their partnership in the face of strained relations with the West.
Putin, along with other visiting leaders, is expected to attend a major military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. After Tianjin, Putin will continue to Beijing for further talks with Xi and a separate meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Associated Press reported.
The SCO summit also includes roughly two dozen leaders from across the Global South. Among them are the presidents of Iran, Belarus, India, Serbia, and Cuba, highlighting the bloc’s growing diversity and its appeal to countries seeking alternatives to Western-dominated institutions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also arrived in China on Sunday, emphasizing that relations between New Delhi and Beijing have “advanced in a significant direction.” Modi pointed to what he described as a “peaceful atmosphere on the borders” following the severe clashes of 2020, which marked a low point in bilateral relations.
For Xi, the summit provides another platform to portray China as a guarantor of economic stability and geopolitical balance, while reinforcing ties with Moscow at a time when both countries face mounting pressure from Washington and its allies.
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