China’s President Xi Jinping (fifth right) during a bilateral meeting with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu (fourth left) ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in the Guest House of Tianjin, China, on August 31, 2025. [AFP]
President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday for a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.