THE AXIS OF UPHEAVAL...

RUSSIAN tyrant Vladimir Putin was greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday at a summit attended by 10 countries, including several foes of the West.

- BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization met in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. The gathering is seen as a challenge to the US's influence over trade and conflicts in Central Asia.

The group has grown in size over the past 24 years, though its goals and programs remain murky. Its other members are Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.