China's Xi urges SCO leaders to 'safeguard regional peace'

Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday urged leaders from Russia, Iran, and other countries to work towards safeguarding "regional peace."

During a virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Xi called for efforts to ensure common security and urged member states to enhance their solidarity and mutual trust. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed the meeting, his first summit since a short-lived mutiny last month. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hosted the virtual meeting, criticized countries that use cross-border terrorism as an instrument in their policies, without naming specific nations. 

He told the SCO that terrorism remains a major threat to regional and global peace and that decisive action is necessary. 

Pakistan also participated in the summit, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling it an "important forum for regional security and prosperity."

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was created in 2001 to discuss security and economic matters. Other members of the SCO include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with countries such as Belarus and Mongolia invited as observers. 

Iran is set to join the grouping, with Tehran having intensified its diplomacy with friends and foes alike in recent months to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength. 

The bloc encompasses a vast stretch of the globe from Moscow to Beijing and makes up around half the world's population, including member states, observers, and "dialogue partner" nations. 

India is a member of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Quad, which was set up with the United States, Japan, and Australia to counter Beijing's growing assertiveness. India has surpassed China as the world's most populous country, and it has a long-running territorial dispute with Beijing.