Greeted by Kazakhstan president Kassym Tokayev in the city of Nur-Sultan. First foreign visit since the pandemic, and will meet with president Putin at the side of SCO meeting.
Accounting for 41% of world's population and 24% of GDP, the SCO meeting will adopt a memorandum of obligations for Iran to receive SCO membership. Belarus has also submitted its application and admission procedures could begin at the summit.
Xi to attend SCO summit in first foreign visit since pandemic, showing ‘focus on neighborhood diplomacy’
By Zhang Han, Chen Qingqing and Wan Hengyi
Published: Sep 12, 2022 03:09 PM Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 pandemic, and inject more Chinese wisdom to the SCO which remains cohesive and attractive to potential new members by advocating equity, justice and true multilateralism in a turbulent and divided world.
The SCO summit in Samarkand will be the first in-person summit since June 2019 when leaders met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi are among leaders expected to attend.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, Xi will also pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from September 14 to 16 at the invitation of the presidents of the two countries.
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Highlights
Eight countries enjoy the status of full SCO membership: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and India; four countries - Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia - have observer status, and six countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka - have dialogue partner status.
One of the key agendas for the Samarkand summit is enlarging the membership. The heads of SCO states will adopt a memorandum of obligations for Iran to receive SCO membership. The SCO has also received Belarus' application and admission procedures could begin at the summit in Samarkand.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt will formally become SCO dialogue partners with the signing of relevant documents and negotiations will be held on granting Bahrain, the Maldives and other states' the status of dialogue partner.
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Related link: Xi to attend SCO summit in first foreign visit since pandemic, showing ‘focus on neighborhood diplomacy’
According to some source:
Li Zhanshu visited Russia to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, reaffirms support for Russia's vital interests.
With the expected passage of Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, it's no wonder China can fully understand and sympathetic towards what Russia is doing.
China sympathetic towards Russia’s protection of its interests in Ukraine — speaker
9 Sep, 23:01Also, Li Zhanshu stated that Russia was pushed into an irresolvable dilemma over Ukraine
MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. China fully comprehends all of the measures taken by Russia to protect its interests in Ukraine and provides support, said Li Zhanshu, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, at a Friday meeting with the heads of factions of Russia’s State Duma (the lower house of parliament).
"As for the issues of Russia’s vital interest, we also always provide our support and our understanding. For example, on Ukraine," Li Zhanshu mentioned.
"We see how the United States and its NATO allies build up their presence along Russia’s perimeter and seriously jeopardize [Russian] national security and the security of Russians’ lives. We are completely sympathetic towards all the measures taken by Russia to defend those key interests and we provide our assistance," the Chinese parliament speaker said.
Li Zhanshu stated that Russia was pushed into an irresolvable dilemma over Ukraine.
"And in this situation, Russia made an important choice, decisively fighting back," he stressed.
In addition, the top Chinese lawmaker thanked Moscow for its support on the Taiwan issue.
"We are deeply thankful to President [Vladimir] Putin and other high-ranking officials for their clear-cut support for China’s position," he noted.
