In view of “real risks”, Xi and Putin propose the Eurasian Security Club as a counterweight to the West: “The right to development must be protected”

Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian President Wladimir Putin expressed their ambitions for a new Eurasian security system at the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

What happened: At the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Xi stressed on Thursday that the regional security club must resist external interference, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Putin is expected to discuss the creation of a new Eurasian security system.

The SCO, founded in 2001 by Russia, China and the Central Asian states, was expanded by the two heads of state to include India, Iran and Pakistan in order to create a counterweight to the West.

“Given the real risks of small farms with high fences, we must protect the right to development,” Xi said at the meeting in Astana.

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Putin, who advocates a new regional security system, proposed that it should be open to all countries on the continent, including NATO members, with the ultimate goal of gradually withdrawing all external military presence from Eurasia, especially that of the United States.

Why it is important: The alliance between China and Russia has grown stronger over the years. In May, amid the Ukraine crisis, Xi and Putin pledged to renew their relations while focusing on resolving the conflict. This move was seen as a significant step in their alliance.

Putin has also strengthened Russia’s international alliances, as evidenced by his defense pact with North Korea in June, which marked a significant shift in Russia’s global alliances and underscored deepening ties with the only country to test a nuclear weapon this century.

In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the alliance between Xi and Putin after Xi’s state visit to Russia in March as a “marriage of convenience” that reflects the different worldviews of the two heads of state compared to the West.

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This story was created with Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote