Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in China on August 31 for a four-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
According to Chinese and Russian media reports, his schedule includes participation in a military parade in Beijing and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.
The parade, set for September 3 in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia. Putin is expected to attend as a guest of honor alongside Xi Jinping.
The SCO summit will take place in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1, bringing together leaders from member states including China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. Delegations from observer states and dialogue partners are also expected.
Russian state media reported that Putin will deliver remarks at the summit and join an extended “SCO Plus” session with partner countries. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and other heads of state.
Additional talks in Beijing will include a trilateral meeting with Xi and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. A meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is also anticipated.
In an interview with China’s Xinhua agency published on August 30, Putin said the summit would “strengthen the SCO’s ability to respond to modern challenges and threats” and contribute to “a more just multipolar world order.”
He also criticized Western countries, accusing them of attempting to “rewrite the outcome of World War II” and of promoting “remilitarization in Europe and Asia.”
Putin’s stay in China, from August 31 to September 3, is one of his longest foreign visits in recent years. Russian officials noted that multi-day trips of this duration are rare for the Kremlin leader.
Earlier, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a congratulatory message from Xi Jinping—the first direct communication between the two leaders in more than two years.
