TIANJIN - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Maldives, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan in the port city of Tianjin.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov are in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

China backs Belarus on multilateralism

China is willing to work with Belarus to practice true multilateralism and jointly contribute to world peace, development and win-win cooperation as humanity once again comes to a crossroads, Xi said, when meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

He said the Chinese and Belarusian people once fought shoulder to shoulder, made major contributions to crushing militarism and fascism, and forged a profound friendship.

He said the two countries should continue to support each other firmly on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and further align development strategies to foster new cooperation growth engines.

Lukashenko praised China's just position on international and regional affairs, saying that China has made major contributions to peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and in the world.

He said Belarus is China's all-weather partner who can always be trusted, expressing the hope to deepen exchanges with China on national governance and enhance cooperation in various fields.

The meeting also saw the inking of cooperation documents covering fields including technology, finance, media, transportation and customs inspection and quarantine.

China supports Azerbaijan in SCO 

President Xi said China supports Azerbaijan in joining the SCO, when meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Azerbaijan is currently a dialogue partner of the SCO.

Xi stressed the need to continuously improve the efficiency of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, expand cooperation in traditional fields such as infrastructure, agriculture and energy, and foster new growth drivers in emerging sectors including the digital economy, green development and artificial intelligence.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan is ready to enhance cooperation with China in economy and trade, science and technology, connectivity, and tourism, to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

He added that Azerbaijan is willing to work more closely with China within the SCO framework to jointly promote regional and global peace and development.

The two sides signed several bilateral cooperation agreements covering artificial intelligence, innovation in science and technology, finance, and media.

Sino-Armenian strategic partnership

During their talks, the Chinese leader and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Xi said since the two countries forged diplomatic relations 33 years ago, they have maintained healthy and steady development of the ties, and the establishment of the strategic partnership marks a significant milestone.

China supports Armenia in joining the SCO and is willing to work with Armenia to practice true multilateralism and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.

Armenia is currently a dialogue partner of the SCO.

Pashinyan said Armenia firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and looks forward to expanding economic and trade cooperation with China, maintaining close coordination in international and regional affairs, and promoting greater development of bilateral relations.

The two sides issued a joint statement on the establishment of the strategic partnership and signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents.

Xi meets Maldivian president

President Xi held a welcome ceremony for Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, and held talks with him.

Noting that the two countries have achieved positive progress in advancing Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said China will continue to deepen practical cooperation with the Maldives to ensure the effective implementation of the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement and carry out cooperation in areas including fisheries, marine scientific research, environmental protection, as well as disaster prevention and reduction.

For his part, Muizzu said the Maldives is willing to work with China to expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, housing construction and tourism, and to strengthen coordination and collaboration within multilateral mechanisms including the SCO.

China supports Kyrgyzstan as SCO chair

China will fully support Kyrgyzstan in assuming the rotating presidency of the SCO, President Xi said when meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

China backs Kyrgyzstan in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and will work with the country to uphold the UN-centered international system and contribute further to world peace and development, Xi said.

Underscoring the need to deepen practical cooperation, Xi called on the two countries to expand cooperation in emerging areas including clean energy and artificial intelligence (AI).

Kyrgyzstan is willing to learn from China's experience and deepen cooperation in connectivity, clean energy, AI and sci-tech innovation, so as to bring more benefits to the people, Japarov said.

Kyrgyzstan stands ready to strengthen coordination with China to advance the development of the SCO, Japarov added.

The two sides signed bilateral documents covering connectivity, human resources, civil aviation, and subnational cooperation.

Senior Chinese officials including Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er attended the meeting.