|
September 16, 2022
from
SpaceWar Website
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan
Source
Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Chinese
leader
Xi Jinping called for a
shake-up of the world order as they met with Asian leaders Friday
for a summit challenging Western influence.
The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan brought Putin and Xi together with the
leaders of SCO members,
India, Pakistan, and
four Central Asian nations, as well as the presidents of Iran
and Turkey.
Putin and Xi met on Thursday for their first
face-to-face talks since the start of the conflict in
Ukraine, and on the Chinese leader's first trip abroad since the
early days of the
coronavirus 'pandemic'.
The summit has been put forward as an alternative to
"Western-centric organizations", at a time of increasing pressure on
Moscow over Ukraine and growing anger in Beijing over US support for
Taiwan.
Xi told leaders at the summit that it was time to
reshape the international system and,
"abandon zero-sum
games and bloc politics".
Leaders should,
"work together to
promote the development of the international order in a more
just and rational direction," Xi said.
Putin hailed the
growing influence of countries outside the West, slamming what he
called,
"instruments of
protectionism, illegal sanctions and economic selfishness".
"The growing role of new centers of power who cooperate with
each other... is becoming more and more clear," Putin said.
Talks with
Turkey
The summit has been Putin's first major international outing since
Moscow sent
troops into Ukraine in February,
sparking a conflict that has left thousands dead and seen Russia hit
with waves of economic sanctions.
Xi on Thursday said China was willing to work with Russia to support
"each other's core interests", though Putin admitted that Beijing
had "concerns" about the situation in Ukraine that he would address.
The SCO, which also includes,
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Tajikistan
-
Uzbekistan,
...was set up in 2001 as a political, economic and
security organization to rival Western institutions.
In a sign that the bloc is far from fully united, clashes escalated
along the borders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on Friday, with both
sides accusing the other of responsibility and of using heavy
weapons.
Putin was due later Friday to meet with Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
who has been a key broker in deals between Russia and Ukraine on
issues like grain shipments.
Erdogan told leaders at the summit that efforts were being made,
"to finalize the
conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy as soon as possible".
Xi met with Erdogan on
Friday, calling for more "political mutual trust" between the two
countries and pushing for more cooperation on his signature Belt and
Road global trade initiative.
Xi was also set to have his first face-to-face discussion with
Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Friday, after Raisi met Putin
on Thursday.
US, Taiwan
raise concerns
For Xi, the summit was an opportunity to shore up his credentials as
a global statesman ahead of a pivotal congress of the ruling
Communist Party in October, where he is widely expected to secure an
unprecedented third term as president.
For Putin, it was a chance to show that he is not fully isolated on
the global scene, at a time when his forces in Ukraine are facing
major battlefield setbacks.
Other nations sounded alarm about deepening ties between Moscow and
Beijing.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said China and
Russia,
"share a vision for
the world that is starkly at odds with the vision that's at the
centre of the international system, the vision that has been at
the centre of the international system for the past eight
decades."
He also took note of
Putin's mention of Chinese "concerns" about Ukraine in his talks
with Xi, suggesting the "striking" admission showed Moscow did not
have Beijing's full support for its military campaign.
Taiwan's foreign ministry meanwhile said the two countries were
inflicting harm on,
"international peace,
stability, democracy and freedom".
Putin, Xi hail 'Great
Power' ties
...at
talks defying West
September 16, 2022
from
TheMoscowTimes Website
Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for
their first face-to-face talks since the start of the conflict in
Ukraine on Thursday, hailing their strategic ties in defiance of the
West.
Sitting across from each other at two long rounded tables and
flanked by aides, the two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in ex-Soviet
Uzbekistan.
The meeting was part of Xi's first trip abroad since the early days
of the 'pandemic'. For Putin, it was a chance to show Russia has not
been fully isolated despite Western efforts.
"China is willing to
make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and
play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into
a world rocked by social turmoil," Xi told Putin at the talks.
Chinese state broadcaster
CCTV also quoted Xi as saying China was willing to work with Russia
to support,
"each other's core
interests".
Putin took a clear
broadside at the United States, which has been leading efforts to
support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia.
"Attempts to create a
unipolar world have recently acquired an absolutely ugly form
and are completely unacceptable," Putin said.
"We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese
friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told Xi,
while reiterating Moscow's backing for China on Taiwan.
"We adhere to the principle of one China.
We condemn the
provocation of the US and their satellites in the Taiwan
Strait," Putin said, after a US Senate committee on Wednesday
took the first step towards Washington directly providing
billions of dollars in military aid to Taiwan.
'Alternative'
to West
It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since
Putin saw Xi in early February for the Winter Olympic Games in
Beijing, days before the Russian leader launched the military
offensive in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has touted the SCO summit in the ancient Silk Road city
of Samarkand as showing there is an "alternative" to
Western-dominated international institutions.
The SCO, made up of,
...was set up in 2001 as a political,
economic and security organization to rival Western institutions.
The leaders of those countries were to attend, as well as Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.
Putin met the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan earlier
Thursday, as well as with Raisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
With both Raisi and Sharif he said ties were "developing
positively", while the Iranian leader told Putin that US-backed
sanctions on both countries would only make their relationship
"stronger".
"The Americans think
whichever country they impose sanctions on, it will be stopped.
Their perception is a wrong one," Raisi said.
For Putin, the summit
comes at an important time, as his forces face major battlefield
setbacks in Ukraine and amid a continued Western push to make Russia
an international pariah.
For Xi, it is an opportunity to shore up his credentials as a global
statesman ahead of a pivotal congress of the ruling Communist Party
in October.
The Chinese leader also met Thursday with Belarus's strongman leader
Lukashenko, who was quoted by state news agency Belta as
thanking Xi for China's,
"serious support in
these difficult times".
Lukashenko has been
shunned by Western leaders after a fierce crackdown on the
opposition two years ago and for backing Russia on Ukraine.
Chinese state media said Xi would also meet Erdogan on Friday.
'No-limits'
relationship
Formerly Cold War allies with a tempestuous relationship, China and
Russia have drawn closer in recent years as part of what they call a
"no-limits" relationship acting as a counterweight to the global
dominance of the United States.
The two countries have also stepped up military cooperation, with
China sending hundreds of troops to take part in military exercises
last month in Russia's far east.
The defense ministry in Moscow said Thursday that Russian and
Chinese warships were on a joint patrol in the Pacific and planning
a live-fire artillery exercise at sea.
Other global leaders sounded alarm about deepening ties between
Moscow and Beijing.
US State Department spokesman
Ned Price said China and
Russia,
"share a vision for
the world that is starkly at odds with the vision that's at the
center of the international system, the vision that has been at
the center of the international system for the past eight
decades."
Taiwan's foreign ministry
said the two countries were inflicting harm on,
"international peace,
stability, democracy and freedom".
Putin was also set to
hold talks Friday with Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Security was tight in Samarkand - a city of grand tiled mosques that
was one of the hubs of Silk Road trade routes between China and
Europe - with a huge police presence on the streets and armored
vehicles parked downtown.
|
