The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, hosted by President Xi Jinping of China, begins today. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with President Xi Jinping in the People's Republic of China, where he was attending the 25th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
During the meeting, where the economic cooperation between the two countries was thoroughly evaluated, President Erdoğan stated that bilateral trade should be supported by investments to ensure its balance and sustainability. He stated that the potential in the fields of digital technologies, energy, healthcare, and tourism is particularly great, and that increasing coordination among Chinese companies to invest in Türkiye would be beneficial in this regard.
President Erdoğan emphasized the importance of taking joint steps to align the Middle Corridor with the Belt and Road Initiative. During the meeting, it was agreed that existing consultation and cooperation mechanisms between the two countries would be operated regularly. Erdoğan reiterated Turkey's support for the"One China" policy and highlighted the strategic dimension of relations between the two countries. The meeting also addressed the latest situation in Gaza, the war between Ukraine and Russia, potential joint steps for the development of Syria, and regional and global issues.
"AN ADVISABLE STEP"
In his speech at the meeting, Erdoğan noted the following:
My dear friend, thank you for your special invitation to the summit. I want you to know that your invitation is as meaningful as it is valuable to me. I am pleased to meet with you again on the occasion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's largest summit. We look forward to continuing our concrete contributions to the organization's work. Your initiative to improve global governance is a commendable step. I attach great importance to both you personally and our relations with China. I propose that we accelerate our relations through reciprocal visits.
Meeting with President Erdoğan, Chinese President Xi said,"China and Türkiye are major emerging countries with a spirit of independence and important members of the 'Global South.'"
ERDOĞAN'S SECOND MEETING
President Erdoğan, who is in China for the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State Summit, also met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
ERDOĞAN COUPLE JOINED IN FAMILY PHOTO
President Erdoğan participated in the family photo shoot at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.
THE BIGGEST MEETING EVER
Chinese officials are calling the summit the SCO's largest-ever gathering. CNN International commented that"diplomacy and grandstanding will give Xi the opportunity to present China as a stable and powerful alternative leader to the world's leading superpower, which has shaken its alliances and waged a global trade war under US President Donald Trump."
The gathering also comes just before a major military parade in Beijing. This event will deliver a different message: China's rapidly growing military might. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing, Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico will also attend.
Putin received a red-carpet welcome in Tianjin on Sunday. In a written interview with the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, he described the China-Russia partnership as"a stabilizing force for the world." He said the two countries were "united in the vision of building a just, multipolar world order," pointing out that the current US-led international order was unfairly biased against them.
SCO members include China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These countries control a large portion of global energy reserves and govern approximately 40 percent of the world's population.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also arrived in Tianjin. Xi has been holding bilateral talks with his guests since Saturday.
'ARCHITECT AND HOMEOWNER'
Although there are historical rivalries and differences in political systems among the countries participating in the summit, this further strengthens Xi's message, according to CNN.
According to Rabia Akhtar, director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Studies at the University of Lahore in Pakistan, “Beijing wants to show that China is an indispensable player in Eurasia, capable of bringing rivals to the same table and transforming great power rivalry into manageable interdependence. The picture is clear: China is not just a participant in the regional order, but also its primary architect and host.”
Modi's presence adds further weight to the list. Modi, who skipped last year's summit in Kazakhstan, is in Tianjin this time amid strained relations with the US and the easing of friction between Beijing and New Delhi. This could jeopardize US efforts to develop India as a counterweight to China.
Delegations are also expected from the SCO's 16 official partner and observer countries. These include Cambodia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and NATO member Turkey. Several Southeast Asian leaders have also been invited. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to attend.
Posters announcing the summit in English, Russian, and Chinese were displayed throughout Tianjin. Traffic was heavily restricted in the city center. Chinese leaders welcomed their guests with high diplomatic pomp.
The choice of Tianjin is also symbolic. A port forcibly opened by European powers and the Japanese Empire in the 19th century, the city was also occupied by Japan during World War II.
ERDOĞAN AND TURKISH DELEGATION IN CHINA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and MIT Director İbrahim Kalın, traveled to Tianjin, China, to attend the 25th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Council of Heads of State.
Erdoğan will attend a dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in honor of the leaders as part of the 25th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Erdoğan will also hold bilateral talks with other leaders, particularly his host counterpart Xi Jinping.
Several leaders, including Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Russian President Putin, will also stay at the military parade in Beijing after the summit. The Communist Party of China will showcase its military might and highlight its role as Allied leader against Japan in World War II.
WHAT IS SCO?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for the purpose of regional security cooperation, expanded its scope over time.
Members conduct joint counterterrorism exercises, share intelligence to combat what they describe as"terrorism, separatism, and extremism," and develop cooperation in areas such as education, trade, and energy. Another common theme is a call for a"just international order," meaning one that is not led by a single superpower and its allies.
