China hosts the Shanghai Summit with the participation of 20 world leaders, including Putin and Pashinyan.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

**Arab Gulf_Agencies:** The city of Tianjin in northern China is hosting the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization" summit with the participation of about 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit comes at a sensitive time of escalating global tensions, from the war in Ukraine to trade disputes between major powers, making it a pivotal moment for redrawing the balance of power in the region and the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also participate on Sunday in a regional summit hosted by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, with the participation of about 20 world leaders, in the city of Tianjin in northern China. Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be among the 20 world leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit scheduled for Sunday and Monday in Tianjin. Some of them, including Putin and Pezeshkian, have been invited to extend their stay until Wednesday to attend a massive military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory over Japan. For this occasion, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will make a rare visit outside his country to meet Xi in neighboring China. North Korea has become one of Russia's most important allies in its war against Ukraine. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies confirm that North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to fight alongside Russia. It remains uncertain whether talks will be held between the Russian and North Korean presidents, who will attend the military parade together. "A turbulent and changing world" Putin is scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday after discussing the conflict in Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart in Tianjin on Monday and the nuclear issue with his Iranian counterpart. The Indian Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet on the same day. Many of Kyiv's allies suspect that Beijing is supporting Moscow against Ukraine, but China insists that it is adhering to neutrality and accuses Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine. The Chinese President described relations with Russia on Tuesday as "the most important strategically between major countries" in a "turbulent and changing" world. For his part, Putin told the New China News Agency (Xinhua) that the summit "will enhance the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's ability to face the challenges and threats of the modern world and consolidate solidarity in the common Eurasian space." Ahead of the summit, Chinese praise intensified for the multilateralism that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will model, away from "Cold War mentalities and obsolete geopolitical confrontation concepts," according to Xinhua, in unmistakable allusions directed at the Americans and their Western allies. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization includes 10 member states and 16 observer or partner states, representing nearly half of the world's population and 23.5% of global GDP. It is presented as a balancing force to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This summit is the most important for the organization since its establishment in 2001, with multiple crises directly affecting its members: the trade confrontation between the United States and China and India, the war in Ukraine, and the Iranian nuclear dispute. But there are also disagreements within the organization. China and India, the world's two most populous countries, are competing for influence in South Asia and fought a bloody border clash in 2020. But they are currently working to strengthen their relationship, especially with the US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on both countries. The Indian Prime Minister arrived in Tianjin yesterday, Saturday, on his first visit to China since 2018. He is not among the leaders who have announced that they will attend the military parade on Wednesday.