Vladimir Putin Arrives in China for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Security Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin to participate in the 25th annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which runs from August 31 to September 1, 2025. His arrival was marked with a formal red-carpet welcome, where he was greeted by senior city officials, an event covered via livestream by Russian media.

The summit, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, brings together over 20 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This gathering represents the largest in the SCO’s history and underlines its growing geopolitical significance as a platform for promoting a multipolar world and regional security cooperation.

Despite stalled peace talks over Ukraine, Putin’s presence solidifies Russia’s alignment with the China-led bloc. He is expected to underscore calls for a "fairer multipolar world order," signalling deeper strategic ties between Moscow and Beijing. Expectations include bilateral discussions and expanded economic, defence, and diplomatic relations amid shifting global power dynamics.

Following the summit, Putin will travel to Beijing for a grand military parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3, commemorating the end of World War II. He is to be the chief guest, seated beside Xi, with North Korea's Kim Jong-un anticipated to join the event. Additional objectives of the trip include high-level talks with Xi and signing Gazprom-related energy agreements to address the cooling trade between Russia and China.

This high-profile visit underlines the deepening China-Russia partnership and their shared strategy to leverage institutions like the SCO to counter Western influence on the global stage, reinforcing their roles as central actors in an evolving, multipolar order.

Sources: Reuters, The Guardian, AP News