Xi, Putin unite against Trump's world order, champion multipolar future

As US President Donald Trump reshapes the international order through tariffs, sanctions and military power, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for the first time in three months to champion "world multipolarity" — a signal that Beijing and Moscow are deepening their non-Western coalition against a US-led global order.

The meeting took on added significance as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit convened with leaders from China, Russia, India and Iran — all while the wars in Ukraine and Iran continue — casting the gathering as a diplomatic stage for pushback against the Trump administration's foreign policy and the Western-centered international order.

Xi and Putin held bilateral talks Monday (local time) in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the SCO summit. It was their first meeting in roughly three months, since Putin's state visit to China in May.

Xi said China wanted to discuss the SCO's long-term development with Russia and other member states, adding that Beijing sought to "strengthen the capacity to lead reforms in global governance and advance an equal and orderly world multipolarity."

Neither leader mentioned the United States by name, but "world multipolarity" has long been the central diplomatic rallying cry Beijing and Moscow use to push back against what they see as a US-dominated unipolar order. Coming as the Trump administration wields tariffs and economic sanctions as diplomatic tools while intensifying military and economic pressure on Iran, the message carries clear anti-Washington undertones.

Xi assessed the current international situation as one in which "uncertain and unpredictable factors are clearly increasing," and said China would work with Russia and other SCO members to advance global governance reform.

Putin also underscored the strategic alignment between the two countries. "In today's complex geopolitical situation, the comprehensive partnership and strategic mutual cooperation between Russia and China is a model for interstate relations," he said.

Putin added that Russia would deepen cooperation with China not only within the SCO but also in multilateral bodies including the UN, BRICS and the G20 — a move widely read as an effort to expand Chinese and Russian influence within institutions long shaped by the United States and the West.

The two sides also showcased economic closeness. Putin highlighted major joint projects in energy, industry, space, and transportation and logistics, pointing to a Chinese container ship's inaugural regular voyage along the Northern Sea Route earlier this month and a 34 percent increase in bilateral agricultural exports.

Cooperation in advanced technology, including AI, is also set to expand. Putin said "digital innovation, including AI technology, is opening new opportunities for the economic development of both countries" and pledged to strengthen collaboration in the field.

The summit also raised the prospect of discussions on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would carry Russian natural gas to China. Once completed, the pipeline would allow Russia to export 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China annually — a critical alternative market for Moscow as Western sanctions have shrunk its access to European buyers.

However, the two sides have yet to reach agreement on the project, with disagreements over supply prices having blocked a deal at the May summit as well. China did not disclose any specifics of pipeline discussions this time either.

The SCO summit drew leaders from 17 countries, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in addition to Xi and Putin.

Russia faces sweeping Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, while Iran confronts US military strikes and economic isolation. Against that backdrop, both countries have moved actively to strengthen ties with China and India, lending the SCO growing weight as a diplomatic and economic platform for non-Western nations pushing back against US and Western pressure.

Putin held a separate meeting with Modi on the sidelines, and Pezeshkian also met with the Indian prime minister — their first encounter since the outbreak of the war involving Iran.

With the Trump administration simultaneously pressing China on trade, Russia on Ukraine and Iran on military and economic fronts, the "multipolarity" message Xi and Putin put forward reflects a convergence of strategic interests: both countries are seeking to break free from an international order in which US influence remains dominant.