Putin and Xi ‘may meet in September’ at Samarkand summit | World News

Meeting with Xi Jinping Vladimir Putin It was reported at a regional summit in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in mid-September.

according to Wall Street Journalis preparing for the Chinese President’s trip to Samarkand to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on September 15.

Xi’s office has suggested he may be there in person, and in addition to Putin, there may also be bilateral meetings with the leaders of Pakistan, India and Turkey, the report said. However, officials have warned that the Chinese leader’s plans could change, and that he could attend only virtually.Xi has not left China From January 2020.

The SCO did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Russian state news agency TASS reported in June that Putin planned to attend the SCO summit.

Xi Jinping and Putin are also expected to attend G20 summit in Bali in November, the conference that Joe Biden will attend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would participate remotely.

The Samarkand and Bali summits will provide an opportunity for face-to-face critical discussions in high tension situations, especially in the context of the Russian invasion Ukraine And China’s aggressive military posture around Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army conducted unprecedented military exercises on the island following a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August.

Beijing, which has backed Moscow on Ukraine, has declined to criticize the invasion, but there is no evidence it supplied the weapons, as some U.S. officials feared. The last time they met was in Beijing in February, where Putin and Xi vowed that the bilateral relationship would be “unlimited“.

Russia’s military collapse in Ukraine reportedly affects China’s military thinking Taiwan in an as yet unclear manner. The Russian problem reminds us that China is not ready for everything it needs to invade, and that an invasion without adequate preparation can be costly.

On the other hand, the longer China delays its attempt to reintegrate Taiwan by force, the better chance Taiwan has to arm itself and learn from Ukraine’s success in stopping Russian troops.