Putin, Xi meet at Central Asian summit

Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov welcomes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival. Pic/AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be meeting for the second time in as many months as they visit Kazakhstan for a session of an international group founded to counter Western alliances. Putin and Xi last got together in May when the Kremlin leader visited Beijing to underscore their close partnership that opposes the US-led democratic order and seeks to promote a "multipolar" world.

Now they'll be holding meetings amid the annual session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Wednesday and Thursday in the Kazakh capital of Astana. A look at the summit:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region, Other members are Iran, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Observer states and dialogue partners include Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Besides Putin and Xi, and summit host President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, other leaders there will be PM Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, and President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan.

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