QINGDAO (CHINA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday opened a regional security summit attended by Russia and Iran with boasts of the bloc's "unity", just as a fractious G7 gathering was mired in divisions between Europe and the US. Rouhani, for his part, denounced the "illegal" US withdrawal from the international nuclear deal with Tehran. Iran, currently an observer member of the SCO, has sought since 2008 to become a full member of the China- and Russia-led security group. The 2015 nuclear deal lifted that barrier. Regional security issues will also feature, because terrorism is the most severe security challenge facing the SCO, according to Liao Jinrong, a Chinese ministry of public security official.

Source: Bangkok Post June 09, 2018 14:37 UTC