Xi, Putin round on West at summit

PRESIDENTS Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin took turns yesterday to swipe at the West during a gathering of Eurasian leaders for a showpiece summit aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations.

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), comprising China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, is touted as a non-Western style of collaboration and seeks to be an alternative to traditional alliances.

Xi told the SCO leaders, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that the global international situation was becoming more “chaotic and intertwined”.

The Chinese leader also slammed “bullying behaviour” from certain countries - a veiled reference to the United States.

“The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging,” he added in his address in the northern port city of Tianjin.

“Looking to the future, with the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit... and better perform the functions of the organisation,” Xi said.

Putin used his speech to defend Russia's Ukraine offensive, blaming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.