In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) is greeted by Uzbekistan’s President Shaukat Mirziyoyev (right) during his arrival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Li Xueren/AP
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Li Xueren/AP
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) is greeted by Uzbekistan’s President Shaukat Mirziyoyev (right) during his arrival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Li Xueren/AP
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of India and Central Asian countries headed to Uzbekistan on Thursday for a summit of a security group created by Beijing and Moscow to counter US influence.
The meeting of the eight nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization comes at a time when Putin is in isolation abroad after the invasion of Ukraine. Beijing’s relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India are strained over disputes over technology, security and territory.
The event in the ancient sultanate of Samarkand is part of Xi Jinping’s first foreign trip since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic 2 1/2 years ago, underscoring Beijing’s desire to assert itself as a regional power.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met Xi Jinping at Samarkand airport, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reports. The musicians played a fanfare on the trumpet, a traditional wind instrument that resembles a long trumpet.
Putin and Xi were supposed to meet one-on-one and discuss Ukraine, the adviser to the president of the Russian Federation on foreign affairs said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to arrive on Thursday, according to his government, although there was no indication whether he might meet separately with Xi or Putin.
Sino-Indian relations have been strained by clashes between soldiers from the two sides in a border dispute in the remote Himalayan region.
Other SCO governments include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Among the observers are Iran and Afghanistan.
The Chinese leader is promoting the “Global Security Initiative” announced in April after the creation of the “Quarter” by Washington, Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijing’s more assertive foreign policy. Xi gave few details, but US officials complain that it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
The region is part of China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
China’s economic incursion into Central Asia has alarmed Russia, which views the region as its sphere of influence. Kazakhstan and its neighbors are trying to attract Chinese investments without worrying about Moscow.
Xi Jinping paid a one-day visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday on his way to Uzbekistan.
Pope Francis was in Kazakhstan at the same time as Xi Jinping, but they did not meet.
