SCO summit: Guterres says China’s support for multilateralism vital

TIANJIN: China’s role in upholding multilateralism is fundamental, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Sunday.

Xi in turn said China would always be a “reliable partner” to the UN and continue to provide “stability and certainty”.

Guterres is in China’s northern port city of Tianjin for the SCO Council of Heads of State summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East will gather with Xi in a powerful show of Global South solidarity.

COUNTERTERRORISM

Also on Sunday, XI told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that China and Turkiye should strengthen cooperation in the area of counterterrorism, according to the Xinhua state news agency.

Both countries should also seek new cooperation opportunities in new energy, 5G technology and biomedicine, Xinhua quoted Xi as saying, in a meeting on the sidelines of SCO summit.

Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for strengthening “the fight against transnational terrorist activities”, and eradicating “the breeding ground for terrorism”.

Read more: China for eradicating breeding ground for terrorism 

‘TRUE MULTILATERALISM’

Separately, Xi said China is willing to work with Belarus to practice true multilateralism and jointly contribute to world peace, development and win-win cooperation as humanity once again comes to a crossroads.

In a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Xi said the Chinese and Belarusian people once fought shoulder to shoulder, made major contributions to crushing militarism and fascism, and forged a profound friendship.

To argue his case, he said the two countries should continue to support each other firmly on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, promote high-quality Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation.

Meanwhile, Lukashenko praised China’s just position on international and regional affairs, saying that China has made major contributions to peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and in the world.

CHINA-ARMEMIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Meanwhile, China and Armenia established a strategic partnership as their leaders met in northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday, state media CCTV reported.

China and Armenia should firmly support each other and deepen cooperation in all fields, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, CCTV said.

Pashinyan is in Tianjin for the SCO summit.

INDIA WANTS CHINA

On the other hand, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with China in a key meeting with Xi on Sunday, as both leaders discussed the need to expand trade and investment ties against the backdrop of US tariffs.

The bilateral meeting took place five days after Washington imposed punishing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods due to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

Read more: US tariffs to hit India from Wednesday, impacting $87bn exports

Modi said India and China pursued strategic autonomy, and their ties should not be seen through the lens of a third country, according to an Indian foreign ministry readout of the meeting.

It’s a developing story. Detail to follow