Putin and Modi in China for summit

PRESIDENT Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries yesterday for a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit is being held in the northern port city of Tianjin until Monday, days before a massive military parade in the capital Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.

The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus - with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Tianjin yesterday with an entourage of senior politicians and business representatives.

Meanwhile, Xi held a flurry of bilateral meetings with leaders from the Maldives, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and one of Putin's staunch allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.