DPA: Putin, isolated from the West, gets a chance to demonstrate his strong ties with China and other countries

The official program of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit begins in China today, BNR reported. Leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organizations are attending the event.

At the forum in the northern port city of Tianjin, Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping said that “the world is experiencing changes not seen in a century, with significantly increasing instability and uncertainty“.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization bears even greater responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the region, Xi added.

He made the comments at an official dinner at the forum in front of numerous heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders stood side by side in a so-called family photo. At the forum, they discussed recent Russian-American contacts, TASS notes.

DPA commented that the forum provided Putin, isolated from the West due to his aggressive war against Ukraine, a platform to demonstrate his strong ties with China and other countries.

Putin will stay in China for several days and, together with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will attend a military parade on September 3 in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.