Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Tianjin, China, on Sunday for a high-profile four-day visit aimed at strengthening ties with Beijing and attending a major regional security summit.
Putin was greeted with a red-carpet welcome by senior Chinese officials, according to footage broadcast by Russian state media. The visit underscores what Chinese state broadcaster CCTV called the “best period in history” for China-Russia relations, describing them as stable, mature, and strategically important.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host roughly 20 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The meeting, the largest since the SCO was founded in 2001, will focus on security, economic cooperation, and military collaboration.
The SCO, which started with six member states, has grown to include 10 permanent members and 16 observer or dialogue partners, expanding its influence across Eurasia. Analysts expect Xi to use the event to promote a vision of global order less reliant on U.S. leadership while bolstering Russia’s standing amid ongoing Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine.
In an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency ahead of his trip, Putin condemned Western sanctions, calling them discriminatory and praising Moscow’s partnership with Beijing in resisting economic pressure.
Despite closer cooperation with China, Russia continues to face economic strain, with its economy nearing recession due to war costs and trade restrictions. The summit will also bring together leaders from Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, as Beijing seeks to position the gathering as a show of unity among the so-called “Global South.”
