- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin among others attend banquet

ANKARA

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday hosted a banquet in the northern port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, state media reported.

Xi, along with his wife Peng Liyuan, welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan's Premier Shehbaz Sharif and other heads of state, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

Footage aired on state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi welcoming the guests one after another as they posed for a group photo before proceeding to the banquet hall.

The SCO meeting is being held Sunday and Monday, marking the fifth annual summit hosted by China since the forum was established in 2001.

The summit convenes amid escalating geopolitical tensions, including Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, the Ukraine conflict and international tariff disputes. Xi, serving as the rotating chair, will preside over the summit.

Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will participate.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev are attending the gathering.

Leaders are expected to sign the Tianjin Declaration and approve a 10-year strategy, alongside outcome documents on security, trade, energy and cultural cooperation.

The summit will also issue statements on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the UN.

The SCO evolved from the "Shanghai Five" mechanism comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan before Uzbekistan joined as the sixth member. Today, it includes 10 member states, two observers and 14 dialogue partners across Asia, Europe and Africa.

The organization covers approximately 24% of global land area and 42% of the world’s population, with member states accounting for roughly one-quarter of global GDP and trade increasing nearly 100-fold in two decades.

China’s trade with SCO members, observers and dialogue partners reached a record $890 billion in 2024, or 14.4% of its total foreign trade.

The previous SCO leaders’ summit was held in Kazakhstan in July 2024, where 25 strategic documents were adopted covering energy, security, finance and information security.

*Writing by Aamir Latif