Beijing (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed prominent figures such as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Egypt Moustafa Madbouly ahead of a summit featuring over 20 national leaders.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting will be held in Tianjin, a northern port city, on Sunday and Monday. The Hai River city of Tianjin has over 20 heads of state and their respective delegations, which makes this the most significant meeting for the SCO since its inception in 2001.
The SCO includes China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus. Sixteen more nations are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
Which leaders are attending the Tianjin SCO summit?
Bilateral meetings are expected to occur surrounding the summit, with Kim Jong Un of North Korea one of 26 world leaders attending the summit.
Along with Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are arriving in Tianjin the day before. Other leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are expected to arrive for the largest meeting of the bloc since its establishment in 2001.
On Friday, the Kremlin formally announced that Putin will speak on Monday with Erdogan about the Ukraine issue. Additionally, Putin will speak with Iranian President Pezeshkian in a separate meeting that is scheduled for the same day, where they are expected to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program. The meeting with Iran comes amid rising Western pressure on Tehran.
How does China lead and host the SCO summit?
China acts as a leader and rotating chair of the SCO, serving as a collaborative multilateral forum for Eurasian countries. China has hosted the heads of state summit of the SCO several times before.
When did China last host the SCO summit before 2025?
The most recent time China hosted the SCO heads of state summit prior to 2025 was in 2018 in Qingdao, Shandong Province. It was the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States, which provided the first summit with India and Pakistan as full members. Chinese President Xi Jinping then chaired the summit and gave a keynote speech focused on cooperation, regional security, and economic integration.
