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Xi, Putin and Modi gather in Bishkek for SCO's 25th anniversary
Bishkek, Chüy, KyrgyzstanPublished 31 Aug 2026
Presidential Press and Information Office / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · source
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Kyrgyzstan as Iran sits in the room, a Modi–Xi encounter is watched, and Western, Indian and Chinese coverage split over whether the bloc is an anti-U.S. stage or a connectivity forum.
Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi are in Bishkek for a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit marking the bloc’s 25th anniversary. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov is hosting. Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian is in the room; Putin is due to meet him and Xi separately. Indian coverage stresses connectivity, a scheduled Modi–Putin bilateral and a likely Modi–Xi encounter ahead of BRICS in New Delhi. Western wires frame a counterweight to the West amid wars in Ukraine and Iran. Chinese coverage highlights a “golden period” with Kyrgyzstan and Central Asian trade.
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Amid Setbacks, Putin Looks To Restore Russia's Standing At Bishkek SCO Summit
Published 30 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Xi held his first meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who will host the summit.
Kremlin officials said Putin has at least nine bilateral meetings scheduled.
US officials told RFE/RL that Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack US troops in the Middle East.
Also on the agenda is a $25 billion agreement signed by Tehran with Rosatom to build four nuclear power plants in Iran.
Iran is under Western sanctions, including over alleged pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Non-member participants will include Armenia, Azerbaijan, UN chief Antonio Guterres, and heads of several Moscow-oriented organizations.
Al-Tamimi wrote that the SCO offers Iran broader political cover and trade in yuan, rubles and other national currencies.
Putin is scheduled to meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Armenian police on August 25 arrested former President Robert Kocharian amid accusations of corruption-related offenses.
Yerevan has also angered Moscow by expressing a desire to eventually join the European Union.
After Bishkek, Putin is scheduled to travel to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum from September 1–4.
Putin is also set to meet the Indonesian president and Mongolian prime minister in Vladivostok.
Opinion
RFE/RL says Putin looks eastward to restore Russia’s standing at a major summit in Bishkek.
RFE/RL says Russia’s economy is in tatters due to Western sanctions and Ukrainian drone strikes.
RFE/RL says ally Iran is battered in war.
RFE/RL says Moscow looks to place Russia as a counterweight to Western influence in the region.
RFE/RL notes nuclear powers Pakistan and India are often on the brink of war with each other.
Al-Tamimi wrote the SCO is not an economic shield against US sanctions.
Al-Tamimi wrote the SCO lacks a fully developed alternative financial architecture and cannot compel China or India to absorb high costs on Iran’s behalf.
Analyst Naser al-Tamimi wrote that the SCO can help isolated Iran, but only to a point.
RFE/RL says Armenia has angered Moscow by seeking to move closer to the West.
Russia, China leaders to meet at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit
Published 31 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Iran maintains close military ties to Russia and energy links with China.
The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met in July at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would encourage G20 members to re-examine terms of trade with China.
Bessent said he planned a bilateral meeting at the G20 with People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi to Attend Summit in Kyrgyzstan
Published 31 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, Modi and Sharif are due to take part in a plenary chaired by Japarov.
Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran.
Putin’s meeting with Pezeshkian comes days after CIA director John Ratcliffe made a rare trip to Moscow.
This month the US slapped secondary sanctions on Iran’s trading partners in gold, technology, digital assets, aviation and maritime transport.
The Bishkek summit takes place as some members are in the Ukraine and Iran wars or in trade wars with US tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods.
China, a major importer of Iranian oil, said it will firmly defend its interests.
Washington has also threatened Iran’s allies with sanctions.
Analyst Mohammad Hassan Najmi told AFP Tehran believes SCO membership can help it circumvent US and European sanctions.
Pezeshkian has acknowledged Iran faces economic difficulties.
Russia and China compete for influence in Central Asia.
Iran has regularly said it will not cave to economic pressure.
Beijing at times has had strained relations with India and Pakistan.
Opinion
Kyiv Post describes the SCO as a regional bloc that seeks to be a counterinfluence to the West.
Kyiv Post says China is deepening influence in a historically Russia-dominated region.
Kyiv Post says Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches at SCO summits.
Najmi said these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties in times of crisis.
PM Modi, Xi, Putin, other world leaders in Bishkek: What's on SCO summit agenda
Published 31 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Modi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday after a two-day visit to Uzbekistan.
Modi was received at the airport by Adylbek Kasymaliev, chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers.
Modi is attending at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.
Belarus joined in 2024.
Modi, Xi and Putin last appeared together at the SCO summit in Tianjin in September 2025.
About 3.4 billion people are represented across SCO members.
Modi and Xi held talks against the backdrop of the 2020 border clashes and a prolonged military standoff.
Their engagement followed an October 2024 agreement that helped facilitate disengagement along parts of the disputed frontier.
The 2025 summit produced discussions on counter-terrorism, peace and security, SCO development and reform of global governance.
Opinion
India Today says the optics drew attention because India–China ties were beginning to thaw after LAC tensions.
PM Modi at Shanghai summit today, will hold talks with Putin, likely to meet Xi
Published 30 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Officials said Modi and Xi are expected to meet each other during the summit.
For India, Bishkek is a lead-up to the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12–13.
Modi called the SCO an important organisation.
Delhi’s SCO priorities are based on the 2018 SECURE agenda: security, economy and trade, connectivity, unity, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In Bishkek, Iran will be in the room with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Sources said 27 documents are proposed to be signed or adopted, including the Bishkek Declaration.
The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi in May ended with no consensus on the war in West Asia.
India chaired the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and the Council of Heads of State in 2022–2023.
One of India’s priorities has been Central Asia as the core of the SCO.
Tajikistan is contesting for a UNSC non-permanent seat for 2028–29.
India is also contesting for the same UNSC seat.
Sources said inclusion of English as an official and working language of the SCO is another highlight.
This year also marks the third edition of the SCO Plus format meeting.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
Xi is in Bishkek for SCO summit. How does bloc fit China’s Eurasian strategy 25 years on?
Published 31 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Xi is in Bishkek for the SCO summit.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the SCO summit this week as Beijing’s presence across Central Asia is in focus.
China–Central Asia goods trade hit a record US$106 billion last year, making Beijing the largest trading partner of the five countries combined for the first time.
Li Lifan of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences said the SCO and Central Asia held special significance for Beijing.
Zhu Yongbiao said security remained Beijing’s top priority in Central Asia, including protection of key connectivity projects.
Zhu said Central Asia accounted for a relatively small component of China’s overall foreign trade.
Potential routes through Iran remain at the planning stage because of sanctions and regional instability.
Li said Central Asian economies increasingly lean on China for trade, investment, infrastructure and technology, while Russia retains military bases and security arrangements.
Li said energy and food security are emerging SCO concerns, citing fuel disruptions linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit all five former Soviet Central Asian states soon after the SCO summit.
Last November, Trump hosted the five Central Asian leaders at a C5+1 summit for trade and critical-mineral deals.
In recent weeks the US has pressed countries including Kazakhstan to choose sides in AI cooperation.
Opinion
Analysts said Xi’s presence in Bishkek puts the spotlight on whether the grouping can move beyond diplomatic signalling.
Analysts said the 25th anniversary summit would offer clues to Beijing’s ambitions for a more multipolar Eurasia.
Li said Beijing has placed greater weight on the SCO and Central Asia as a whole.
Li said that through the SCO, China can project power and influence aspects of the global order.
Li said China seeks to build common ground and present a more united front by aligning with Central Asian partners.
SCMP says that in China’s diplomatic hierarchy the UN ranks highest and the SCO is the most important regional body.
Zhu said China’s primary interest in Central Asia is ensuring a peaceful and stable neighbourhood.
Zhu said the region’s strategic value stems from sitting next to Xinjiang and bridging China, Russia, the Middle East, South Asia and Europe.
Li cautioned that security would remain a major challenge for the railway, including tunnels vulnerable to terror attacks.
Zhu cited overstated claims about the region’s mineral and energy resources.
Li said protecting this steel lifeline is critical as China’s gateway to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
Zhu said these projects were driven by demand from Central Asian and other states rather than Chinese strategy alone.
Zhu said Central Asian states, South Asia and Iran all seek stronger links, making connectivity inevitable.
Yun Sun of the Stimson Centre said the SCO has served as a mechanism for managing China–Russia relations.
SCMP says Russia remains the region’s principal security partner while China’s economic role expands.
Sun said this year is the first time in a decade that China does not face a dire threat on the US front.
Zhu said China’s involvement adds momentum and accelerates related routes.
Li cited a local saying: we wear Moscow’s armour, but our heart beats in Urumqi.
Yun Sun said conflict prevention and management of potential animosity are also of significant value.
Sun said Beijing’s fundamental goal remains demanding global governance reform and a more just international order.
Li cautioned that the SCO’s role in the US–China rivalry should not be overstated.
Yun Sun said some people call the SCO a nothing burger.
Li said Central Asian states tend to pursue their own interests and resist taking sides.
Li said China has generally refrained from pressuring Central Asian governments to choose sides.
Li said their approach is best described as hedging.
Li said Central Asian leaders exploited great-power rivalry to preserve strategic autonomy.
Xi arrives for SCO summit, state visit
Published 31 Aug 2026 accessed 31 Aug 2026
Facts
Xi arrived in Bishkek for the SCO Summit 2026 and a state visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Xi said he looks forward to working with Japarov on a China–Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.
China–Kyrgyzstan goods trade reached $27.2 billion in 2025, up 20 percent year-on-year.
Xi said that over 34 years China–Kyrgyzstan relations have reached a comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.
Xi said China has for years ranked as Kyrgyzstan’s largest trading partner and biggest source of foreign investment.
Xi said the traditional friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan has a long history.
Xi’s current trip is his third visit to Kyrgyzstan as president, after 2013 and 2019.
Xi wrote that Chinese smartphones and electric vehicles had become trendy choices for Kyrgyz consumers.
Xi and Japarov met on the sidelines of the second China–Central Asia Summit in Astana in June and the SCO summit in Tianjin in August.
Last year the two leaders met three times.
At last year’s Tianjin SCO summit, Xi announced three China-SCO platforms for energy, green industry and the digital economy.
Opinion
China Daily says the SCO has grown into the world’s largest comprehensive regional organization by coverage and population.