Xi Jinping's Rare Foreign Tour Hits SCO Summit in Bishkek — SkimNews
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- Xi Jinping arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on August 30 for the September 1-2 SCO Summit, part of a rare burst of foreign travel after his only 2026 trip abroad was a June state visit to North Korea — his first in seven years.
- Xi plans his first Egypt state visit in a decade during the same trip and is expected at the BRICS summit in New Delhi September 12-13, which would mark his first India visit since 2019 and since the deadly 2020 border clashes.
- Washington is monitoring both summits as it tries to improve ties with India and China while planning tougher action on Russia over Ukraine, with Trump claiming last year that the U.S. had 'lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.'
- India faces the threat of up to 100% U.S. tariffs if the Graham bill passes punishing Russian oil buyers, since more than 50% of India's crude came from Russia in June and July (43% as of last week per Kpler data), and New Delhi is using SCO and BRICS to show it 'has other partners,' per Eurasia Group's Pramit Pal Chaudhuri.
- China-India relations have warmed with resumed direct flights, reopened Silk Road trade routes, India's March relaxation of Chinese investment rules, and a last-week agreement to work on border disputes, though Indian executives still face 'significant difficulties' getting Chinese visas per local media.
- AI security is emerging as a critical topic for the expected Trump-Xi summit in Washington on September 24, following senior officials' meetings in Beijing last week and a 'Track 1.5' semi-official dialogue where Asia Society CEO Kevin Rudd said participants discussed U.S.-China AI guardrails.
- Hai Zhao of the state-affiliated Chinese Academy of Social Sciences argued that 'it's time for China to probably take bigger responsibility, provide more global public goods,' citing supply chain security, Strait of Hormuz oil flows, and cybersecurity as areas where China is 'an integral part of the solution.'
Why it matters: Xi is using two consecutive non-Western summits — SCO and BRICS — to signal China's expanding global role just weeks before a Trump-Xi meeting where AI guardrails, Iran sanctions, and secondary tariffs on Russian oil buyers all sit on the table. India's dual exposure to U.S. tariff threats and deep Russian crude dependence gives New Delhi leverage but also a tightrope to walk between Washington and Moscow.
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