Asian leaders gather amid China’s efforts to expand influence
Putin said 43% more tourists crossed borders in the first half of the year as Moscow and Beijing consider making the visa waiver permanent.
- On Monday, August 31, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gathered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit marking the bloc's 25th anniversary.
- Founded as the 'Shanghai Five' in 1996, the SCO now encompasses 10 nations representing 40 percent of the global population and serves as a counterweight to Western influence, offering sanctioned members a platform to strengthen ties.
- During bilateral meetings, Putin and Xi discussed making their visa-free regime permanent after tourist traffic surged 43 percent in the first half of 2026; Putin and Pezeshkian focused on Middle East tensions.
- Negotiations for the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline remain stalled over pricing disputes, while international relations expert Mohammad Hassan Najmi told AFP that 'in times of crisis, these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties.'
- Following the summit, Putin is scheduled to travel to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum on September 1, signaling Moscow's pivot to secure economic interests in the Pacific as the SCO evolves into an Eurasia-centric platform.
273 Articles
273 Articles
The Korea Times
Iran president offers US olive branch before Putin meeting
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday vowed to match any US move to return to a June deal aimed at ending their war, as he prepares to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a regional summit. The two allies were due to hold talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, a bloc promoted by Russia and China as an alternative to Western power. "I state explicitly that i…
At the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the meeting between the Chinese President and the Tsar to promote a fair multipolar world will be held. Present at the Pezeshkian Summit: signal that Beijing will not accept the secondary sanctions of the White House. The article Xi makes axis with Putin before the US trip comes from The Truth.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has begun in Kyrgyzstan, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping joining leaders from dozens of other countries in the two-day meeting.
Iran's Pezeshkian Gets Red Carpet Treatment Alongside Putin, Xi, Modi & Erdogan At Eurasian Summit
Iran's Pezeshkian Gets Red Carpet Treatment Alongside Putin, Xi, Modi & Erdogan At Eurasian Summit Given the Trump administration's shift from a military campaign against Iran to primarily one that seeks economic 'strangulation' and isolation - there's been a big diplomatic push by the White House to get regional allies on board. But the early case remains that reactions from other Gulf allies have so far been muted, after Treasury Secretary Sco…
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