SCO summit: PM Modi face-to-face with Xi Jinping, Putin today | 10 points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and and Chinese President Xi Jinping will come face-to-face on Friday for the first time at the 22nd SCO summit since deadly border clashes in 2020 frayed ties between the Asian rivals. He will also meet Russian President Vladimir Putin today since Russia-Ukraine war.

The Beijing-headquartered SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Notably, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) is holding its first in-person summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years and the summit will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

SCO summit: Here are top 10 updates

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Uzbekistan's historic city of Samarkand on Thursday to attend the SCO summit. He was welcomed by Uzbek counterpart Abdulla Aripov, ministers, Governor of Samarkand region and senior officials.

2) PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including with Putin, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev among other leaders.

3) For the first time, PM Modi will have face-to-face meeting with Putin since Russia-Ukraine war. The Moscow-Delhi relationship dates back to the Cold War era and it has been strong ever since. This "all-weather" partnership is one of the success stories of global diplomacy.

4) Before leaving for the summit, the Prime Minister said that he is looking forward to exchange views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organization.

5) The SCO provides India with an opportunity to initiate multilateral and regional initiatives on counter-terrorism and deal with the illicit drug trade, which is now being used by its neighbours to inflict social wounds and target India's youth.

6) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had in-person meeting for the first time since the Ukraine conflict. The two world leaders talked about the Ukrainian war, as well as other global and local issues.

7) At their first face-to-face meeting on Thursday since the war, Xi said he was very happy to meet "my old friend" again after Putin said U.S. attempts to create a unipolar world would fail. "We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis," Putin told Xi, whom he addressed as "Dear Comrade Xi Jinping, dear friend".

8) Putin and Xi also shared a world view which sees the West as decadent and in decline just as China challenges the United States' supremacy. As the West tries to reduce its reliance on Russian energy, Putin is seeking to boost exports to China and Asia, possibly with a pipeline through Mongolia.

9) China is anticipated to help Russia diplomatically and make significant commitments to a Beijing-Moscow entente, the main goals of which are to balance Washington. 

10) Xi’s comments at the summit show that China still sees Russia as an important partner in its broader struggle with the US. He said that China would continue to support Russia on its core interests, even as neither leader mentioned the “no limits” friendship they declared in February at the Beijing Winter Olympics just weeks before Putin’s invasion. 

(With inputs from agencies)