Putin and Xi reaffirm strategic partnership at SCO summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their strategic partnership on Monday, August 31, 2026, during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The talks, their first since May, focused on strengthening bilateral ties amid what Xi described as increased uncertainty and unpredictability in the international order. The meeting took place as the two-day SCO summit, marking the bloc's 25th anniversary, convened over a dozen heads of state in the Kyrgyz capital. Xi told Putin that China-Russia relations have grown more solid and that there are even brighter prospects ahead, despite global instability.