Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China to participate in a major regional security summit aimed at strengthening strategic alliances in opposition to Western influence on global affairs.
Putin was welcomed with official ceremonies and a red carpet in the port city of Tianjin, while the ties between Russia and China were described as “at their best in history,” according to state broadcaster CCTV, which called them “the most stable, mature, and strategically important relations among major countries.”
The summit, organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is expected to be the largest gathering since its founding in 2001, with around 20 leaders from Asia and the Middle East attending.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will use the meeting as a platform to present China’s alternative to the U.S.-led international order, while providing Russia with a visible diplomatic boost on the global stage.
A day before the visit, Putin strongly criticized Western sanctions, calling them “discriminatory,” and told the Chinese agency Xinhua that Moscow and Beijing remain united in opposing restrictions on global trade.
