Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday to take part in a summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with about 20 other world leaders.The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit will be held in Tianjin until Monday. It comes days before a military parade in Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.According to the Russian side, as quoted by news agency ANI, Putin is accompanied by a “large and significant” delegation, which includes three deputy prime ministers, over 10 ministers, and representatives of major enterprises.Russia is one of the six founding members of the SCO. China and Russia have kept regular contact within the framework of the grouping.After completing his visit in Tianjin, Putin will travel to Beijing to attend an event marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.In an interview published by Xinhua on Saturday, Putin said the summit will “strengthen the SCO’s capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats, and consolidate solidarity across the shared Eurasian space.”“All this will help shape a fairer multipolar world order,” he added.Ahead of the summit, Putin said he hoped it would enhance the ability of members to deal with current challenges and present a united front.“The SCO’s appeal lies in its simple but powerful principles: a firm commitment to its founding philosophy, openness to equal cooperation, not targeting third parties, and respect for the national characteristics and uniqueness of each nation. Drawing on these values, the SCO contributes to shaping a fairer, multipolar world order, grounded in international law, with the central coordinating role of the United Nations,” Putin said, according to Xinhua.“The summit will inject powerful new momentum into the SCO, strengthen its capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats, and consolidate solidarity across the shared Eurasian space. All this will help shape a fairer multipolar world order,” he added.The 2025 summit is the fifth SCO meeting hosted by China and is expected to be the largest since the organisation was founded.
