Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have hailed their country’s “partnership” on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (CSO), a regional security bloc founded by the duo as a counterpoint to Western might.
Speaking on the sidelines of the summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, both Putin and Xi commended the grouping’s expanding membership, which includes the Central Asian countries, as well as India, Iran and member-in-waiting Belarus. They also continued to portray the China-Russia relationship as a stabilising force in chaotic times.
