SCO Expansion Heralds New International Order

SAMARKAND (KI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping looked to rally Asian leaders behind a new “international order” as they met Friday for a summit aimed at challenging Western influence.
The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 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 Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February, and on the Chinese leader’s first trip abroad since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
The summit was put forward by the Kremlin as an alternative to “Western-centric organizations”, at a time of increasing military aid by the U.S. and Europe for Ukraine and growing anger in Beijing over American support for Taiwan.
Xi told the gathered leaders it was time to reshape the international system and “abandon zero-sum games and bloc politics”.
They should “work together to promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction,” Xi told a joint session.
Putin hailed the increasing influence of countries outside the West, slamming “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.
The summit has been Putin’s first major international outing since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February.
“We will do our best to end this as soon as possible,” Putin said, while accusing Kyiv of rejecting negotiations.
The SCO -- which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- was set up in 2001 as a political, economic and security organization to rival Western institutions.

The leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met at the summit to order their forces to withdraw after deadly clashes along their disputed border raised fears of all-out conflict.
Putin and Xi both also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who told the assembled leaders that efforts were being made “to finalize the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy as soon as possible”.
Putin told Erdogan, who has been a key broker in limited deals between Russia and Ukraine, that Moscow was keen to build closer ties with Turkey and was ready to “significantly increase” all exports to the country.