Xi Holds Bilateral Talks With Putin, Japarov at SCO Summit

Bishkek (GNP): Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kyrgyzstan to attend the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and begin a state visit, kicking off a day of high-level bilateral diplomacy that also saw Russian President Vladimir Putin hold separate talks with Xi on the sidelines of the two-day gathering marking the bloc’s 25th anniversary.

In written remarks issued upon arrival, Xi said he looked forward to working with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to draw up a new blueprint for a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future, describing a friendship with historical roots spanning more than a thousand years.

He noted that bilateral relations, established 34 years ago, have grown into a comprehensive strategic partnership, citing record trade and people-to-people exchanges as well as progress on major infrastructure projects, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

Trade in goods between the two countries reached $27.2 billion in 2025, a 20 percent increase from the previous year, with Xi noting in an article published ahead of his visit that China has for years remained Kyrgyzstan’s largest trading partner and biggest source of foreign investment.

The visit marks Xi’s third trip to Kyrgyzstan as Chinese president, following visits in 2013 and 2019, and he is expected to hold talks with Japarov on bilateral relations, economic cooperation and regional issues during his stay.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, received a ceremonial welcome at Manas International Airport, where President Japarov and his wife, Aigul Japarova, greeted the Chinese couple with flowers, traditional bread and honey, and cultural performances featuring music, horsemen and yurts.

The warm reception set the tone for a summit in which Xi is expected to exchange views with fellow leaders on strengthening SCO cooperation, addressing regional and international challenges, and shaping the organization’s future role in global governance reform, building on the three cooperation platforms he announced at last year’s summit in Tianjin covering energy, green industries and the digital economy.

That broader diplomatic agenda extended into Xi’s meeting with Putin, their first face-to-face talks since May, where both leaders reaffirmed the strength of the China-Russia strategic partnership. Xi told Putin that relations between Beijing and Moscow had grown increasingly stable despite rising global uncertainty, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the discussion centered mainly on economic issues, with the Ukraine conflict addressed only briefly.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of major geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the conflict between the United States and Iran, with Putin and Xi having repeatedly used SCO platforms to advocate for a more multipolar international system.

More than a dozen heads of state are attending the Bishkek summit, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a dialogue partner, underscoring the scale of diplomatic activity the gathering has drawn.

Also Read: Pakistan, Iran Leaders Reaffirm Ties on SCO Summit Sidelines

The summit is providing leaders with an opportunity for bilateral diplomacy as well as broader discussions on security, trade and regional cooperation, even as separate efforts to revive Ukraine peace negotiations remain stalled and United States-facilitated talks continue in parallel.

Xi Jinping said, “China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation has entered a golden period marked by record trade and stronger people-to-people exchanges.”

Dmitry Peskov said, “Economic issues were the main focus of the Xi-Putin meeting, with Ukraine discussed only briefly.”