Overview

• Xi Jinping presided over a formal reception in Tianjin for about twenty heads of state and leaders of international organizations as the summit opened.
• Vladimir Putin arrived Sunday with a sizable political and economic delegation after accepting Xi’s invitation to attend the summit and a military parade in Beijing this week.
• Narendra Modi’s participation marks his first visit to China since 2018, signaling India’s continued engagement with Eurasian platforms beyond Western-led forums.
• Tianjin is under heavy security with armored vehicles in the streets and broad traffic restrictions around venues.
• Leaders plan bilateral talks on Ukraine and Iran, and participants are expected to attend a parade in Beijing marking 80 years since World War II’s end that underscores the bloc’s positioning as a counterweight to NATO.