On the afternoon of 15 September local time, President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand to exchange views on China-Russia relations and international and regional issues of shared interest.

President Xi noted that since the beginning of this year, China and Russia have maintained effective strategic communication. Bilateral cooperation in the various fields has moved forward steadily, with activities of the Year of Sports Exchange well underway, and a robust momentum in sub-national cooperation and people-to-people exchange. The two countries have maintained close coordination on the international stage to uphold basic norms of international relations. In the face of changes of the world, of our times and of history, China will work with Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and play a leading role in injecting stability into a world of change and disorder.

President Xi emphasized that China will work with Russia to extend strong mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests, and deepen practical cooperation in trade, agriculture, connectivity and other areas. The two sides need to enhance coordination and cooperation under multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the BRICS to promote solidarity and mutual trust among the various parties, expand practical cooperation, and safeguard the security interests of the region as well as the common interests of the developing countries and emerging markets....

In Samarkand, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping held bilateral talks.
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Vladimir Putin: Dear Comrade Xi Jinping! Dear friend!

Dear Chinese colleagues!

I am glad to welcome all of you to the meeting.

I would like to note that the Chairman and I met six months ago in Olympic Beijing, and many events have taken place during this time. The world is rapidly changing, but only one thing remains unchanged: the friendship between China and Russia, our good and in the full sense of the word strategic comprehensive partnership, and we continue to strengthen these relations.

On the eve of the upcoming 20th Congress of the Communist Party in October, I would like to wish you, dear Comrade Chairman, further success in implementing the large-scale plan for the dynamic development of the Chinese nation.

Russian-Chinese interstate cooperation can be considered a model. The foreign policy tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability. We jointly stand for the formation of a just, democratic and multipolar world order based on international law and the central role of the UN, and not on some rules that someone has come up with and is trying to impose on others, without even explaining what it is.

In general, I must say that the attempts to create a unipolar world have recently acquired an absolutely ugly shape and are absolutely unacceptable for the vast majority of states on the planet.

We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard. During today's meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this issue, although we have spoken about this before.

For our part, we firmly adhere to the One China principle. We condemn the provocations of the United States and its satellites in the Taiwan Strait. We talked about this with the head of parliament, Chairman [of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu], most recently in Vladivostok.

Multifaceted ties between our countries are actively developing. Last year, trade increased by 35 percent and exceeded $140 billion. In the first seven months of this year, the volume of mutual trade increased by another 25 percent. I am convinced that by the end of the year we will reach new record levels, and in the near future, as agreed, we will increase our annual trade turnover to $200 billion or more.

Tomorrow we are to take part in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I would like to note that after a three-year break caused by the pandemic, it will be held in person. Now this is especially important, since the task is to ensure the all-round strengthening of the SCO as a platform for constructive and constructive interaction.

The organization includes countries with different cultural and civilizational traditions, foreign policy guidelines and models of national development, however, building work on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, respect for each other's sovereignty and refusal to interfere in internal affairs made it possible to turn this organization into a an effective mechanism for multilateral cooperation.

Today it is the largest regional organization in the world, which has united a vast geographical area and about half of the population of our planet.

I am sure that our today's meeting will give an additional impetus to the deepening of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership both on a bilateral basis and internationally.

Thank you.

Xi Jinping (retranslated RU->EN) : Dear President Putin! My dear and old friend!

I am very glad to our new meeting.

In February of this year, we were pleased to celebrate together the day of the beginning of spring and the opening of the Winter Olympics, and discuss grandiose plans for the development of Chinese-Russian relations.

In the context of a global pandemic, we continue to maintain effective strategic contacts, in particular through telephone conversations.

In the face of the colossal changes of our time on a global scale, unprecedented in the history of our time, we are ready, together with our Russian colleagues, to set an example of a responsible world power and play a leading role in bringing such a rapidly changing world onto a trajectory of sustainable and positive development.

I would like to take this opportunity - I am ready to exchange views with you on the bilateral agenda, as well as on international and regional topics of mutual interest.

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Russian leader seems keen to curry favour with Chinese president as battlefield setbacks and [G7] sanctions bite

Vladimir Putin has told Xi Jinping that he understands China's "questions and concerns" about the war in Ukraine, in a rare nod to tensions between the two states caused by the Russian invasion.

The remarks came as Xi and Putin met on Thursday for the first time since the war began, at a summit in Uzbekistan where the Russian president was expected to court the Chinese leader personally as an ally in his conflict with the west....

"We don't think anybody should be on the sidelines," White House spokesman John Kirby told CNN in an interview on Thursday as Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan. "The whole world should be lined up against what Mr. Putin is doing. ... This is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Mr. Putin," Kirby added.

China Daily | Xi, Putin vow support for nations' core interests
--SAIC's new EV to help China become leading vehicle export power
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--China's battery producer CATL officially launches Hungarian plant
"The CATL factory in Debrecen will create 9,000 new jobs, according to [HU Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter] Szijjarto."
Global Times | Xi, Putin meet at SCO summit, forging closer ties amid US-caused world turbulence

"I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, the concerns that you constantly express," Putin said. "We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible."

Following the SCO summit in Samarkand, Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, my friend. To my Indian friends, I would like to welcome you all once again.

Mr Prime Minister,

First of all, I want to start our meeting by personally congratulating you and the entire friendly nation of India on the holiday you celebrated last month: I mean the 75th anniversary of independence of the Republic of India. I wish India all the best.

I also know that tomorrow is your birthday, my dear friend. According to Russian tradition, you are not supposed to wish anyone an early happy birthday, therefore I can't do it, but I would like you to know that we remembered, we know about it and wish you all the best anyway, to you as well as to the people of India; we wish prosperity to the friendly country of India that you lead.

Bilateral relations can be characterised as a privileged strategic partnership, and they continue to develop actively. We are actively cooperating on international platforms and discussing all global developments, including unfavourable ones at times.

I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to make it stop as soon as possible. However, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced that it was abandoning the negotiation process and declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, "on the battlefield," as they say. Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there.

We are actively working at the SCO, and today's summit of the SCO heads of state, which I believe was very successful, is the best proof of it. It is important that we constantly coordinate our positions despite coronavirus-related restrictions: we had telephone conversations four times, and our staff are always in touch.

I would like to thank you for your video greetings for the participants of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

I fondly recall my own visit to New Delhi last December and my fruitful talks with you. I would like to use this occasion to invite you to visit Russia.

Clearly, constructive relations are developing in the economic sphere. Trade is growing, including due to additional deliveries of Russian fertilisers to the Indian market, as you asked. The volume of fertilisers delivered from Russia to India increased by more than eight times - not by some percentage, but by more than eight times. I hope that this will help Indian farmers to manage the difficult challenge of providing food for the country's population.

Large joint projects in the oil and gas sector and in the nuclear power industry are being consistently implemented. For Russians, the rich history and ancient culture of India are traditionally of great interest, and in this regard, we propose intensifying the talks on an agreement on visa-free tourist travel. We could also think about holding cross years of Russia and India in 2024.

Thank you.

Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi (retranslated): Your Excellency, I am very glad to have an opportunity to meet with you again today. We had a chance to talk when we saw each other last time in December, during your visit to New Delhi, where we discussed a wide range of issues. And, as you said, since then we have had several telephone conversations.

Besides bilateral cooperation between Russia and India, we also discussed various global issues. We are meeting again today. Indeed, food security, energy security, and the availability of fertilisers are a major concern, especially for developing countries. Without a doubt, we need to find a solution to all these issues, and in particular, we both need to plan initiatives to this end. These issues have already been discussed today.

Your Excellency, I want to express my gratitude to both Russia and Ukraine, because when the crisis began, at first thousands of Indian students were trapped in Ukraine, but thanks to the support we received from both Russia and Ukraine, we were able to ensure the safe return of Indian students. I am grateful to both countries.

I know that now is not an age of wars. We have spoken about this many times, in particular in our telephone conversations. Democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue are important tools for us to find solutions. It is necessary to achieve peace in the future, and I am sure that we can discuss this. I welcome the opportunity to better understand your point of view.

Relations between Russia and India have significantly improved. We believe they are extremely important. We are friends, and for decades we have always stood shoulder to shoulder. The whole world is aware of the nature of Russian-Indian relations, and the world also knows the deep friendship, in particular the personal friendly ties that bind us. We first met in 2001 when I was in state government in India, and our friendship has only grown stronger ever since. In the interests of the well-being of this region, our peoples and citizens, we are once again making efforts today, in particular within the framework of the SCO summit. Thank you for the support you have shown India.

Bilateral relations, which we will also discuss today, mean that our relations will only improve and strengthen in the future, which is also useful for the whole world.

Let me once again thank you for finding time for this meeting.

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I had extremely useful discussions with Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders the past two days about the issues affecting the region and beyond, stressing the need for stronger cooperation and solidarity in line with the @UN Charter and international law.⁰ #SCOSummit2022 pic.twitter.com/zJQM6vz5lT

— Rosemary A. DiCarlo (@DicarloRosemary) September 16, 2022

DW | Why Vladimir Putin's new Russian 'pivot to Asia' will fail, 19 Sep

"I would say another failure, since, again, Russia doesn't have a lot to offer the region strategically or economically," said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Moscow needed to "move onto a path of peace" after attending a regional summit [SCO] with Putin in Uzbekistan last week. Putin has publicly acknowledged that Chinese President Xi Jinping had "questions and concerns" about the war.

Commentators® reckon that Moscow has made itself an even more "junior partner" of Beijing's < wipes tears > since its invasion of Ukraine.

euractiv | Samarkand blues, 19 Sep

things in Uzbekistan's capital, Samarkand, didn't unfold as Moscow had hoped. First, the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, told Putin that the "era of war" is over, articulating for the first time in public his country's discomfort with Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Then, after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin himself had to admit that his counterpart had "questions and concerns" about the situation in Ukraine.

Adding insult to injury, several leaders, including the president of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, kept Putin waiting in front of cameras, just like Turkey's Erdogan famously did last July.
[...]
The photos of Putin in Samarkand show a lonely and distressed man.

Nothing in any joint communique or individual "readout" implies Putin's command of "multilateral" negotiations, endorsed or adopted G7 sanctions, or deviated from the principal mission of these FTAs. Ukraine is not their "concern." To the contrary: G7-sponsored "separatism" across the continent draws attention to that group's trail of diplomatic failures and hostility to non-aligned nations.  
mea.gov.in |Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 16 Sep

21. The Member States noted the results of the joint anti-terrorism exercises of the competent authorities of the SCO member states "Pabbi - Anti-Terror - 2021" and the joint border operation of the border services of the competent authorities of the SCO member states "Solidarity - 2019-2021", as well as the effective presidency of the Republic of India in the SCO RATS Council (2021-2022).

22. The Member States consider it necessary to implement the decision of the SCO CHS on improvement of mechanisms to counter challenges and threats to security of the SCO Member States taking into account the relevant initiatives on establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe as a separate permanent body (Republic of Tajikistan); on establishment of the Universal Centre to Counter Challenges and Threats to Security of the SCO member-states based on the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent city.
[...]
47. The Member States proceed from the premise that there is no alternative to political and diplomatic solutions to conflict situations in various regions of the world on the basis of strict compliance with generally recognized norms and principles of international law.

The SCO Member States believe that one of the most important factors in preserving and strengthening security and stability in the SCO region is the speedy settlement of the situation in Afghanistan. They support the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful State, free of terrorism, war and drugs.

Member States believe that it is critical to have an inclusive Government in Afghanistan, with representatives from all ethnic, religious and political groups of Afghan society.

The Member States, underlining the value of the long-standing hospitality and effective assistance extended by regional and neighbouring countries to Afghan refugees, consider the active engagement of the international community in facilitating their dignified, safe and sustainable return to their homeland to be essential.

Member States, in view of the evolving humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, supported continued efforts to assist the Afghan people.
...

Is China Breaking With Russia Over Ukraine? | By Shannon Tiezzi |

One thing has not changed: Xi and Putin are still positioning their countries as close partners. "In the face of changes of the world, of our times and of history, China will work with Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and play a leading role in injecting stability into a world of change and disorder," Xi told Putin, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry readout.

As my colleague Catherine Putz noted, Xi and Putin are aligned in seeking to replace the U.S.-led world order with a new, more "democratic" and "just" one. This basic interest has not changed, and there is no explicit indication of Chinese displeasure with Russia in the Chinese summary of the meeting.

So little coverage in Western European media of the SCO Summit representing a large bloc of the global population, and quite diverse. #multilateralism #bannato

Critical Analysis on the Hot Issues Among the International Debates on the Belt and Road Initiative

Reference: Shannon Tiezzi, "The New Silk Road: China's Marshall Plan" - November 2014.

I have mentioned this before, the year 2014 was a pivotal year under the Obama administration: focus on Russia via coup d'état in Kyiv, partial invasion Crimea and Donbas, MH-17 incident, NATO/Arab states failures in Libya and Syria, ... trying to get Turkey, Qatar on board and an opening towards Iran through a nuclear deal. No goals achieved, utter backlash and more chaos in these regions.

'Sapere aude'