So Stephen, what is your sense of
whether the two sides can put aside
long-standing issues, disagreements over
Pakistan and rebuild ties or as they've
been characterizing it, can the elephant
and the dragon dance together?
Yeah, that's right. Well, that's what
obviously the host nation, China
definitely wants. uh state media has
been using that terminology uh the
dragon and elephant tango uh as of
course some have also described this as
a bit of a gift from Washington uh to
China as Xiinping host this SEO. It's
been around since 2001, but hasn't
really gained a lot of global prominence
uh yet. But this is going to be the
biggest one uh to date with more than 20
world leaders actually. In fact, you're
going to have the leaders of China,
India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan uh among
others all on the same stage uh for the
first time in many years. So there is
some growing clout of course amid the
ongoing trade friction coming from
Washington. And I think you know the
China Russia dynamic is going to build
upon strength. Uh the no limits
partnership between she and Putin is
going to be there. Whether we're going
to get any oil deals or energy deals
announced it's yet to be seen. This
might not be a real newsworthy event.
It's more about China sort of courting
India. As you rightfully said, Averil,
China, India is the big fish to catch
right now because they're long time
known for strategic autonomy. They don't
really have any uh defense treaties
signed with anybody. Yes, they're part
of the Quad along with the United
States, Australia, and Japan. They're
also part of bricks and then SEO but
they don't have any security alliance in
they like that strategic ambiguity or
strategic autonomy. That's why the
fullcourt press, if you will, the
courting of Modi here is ongoing. And
already Narendra Modi has announced that
they're going to resume flights between
the two countries between China and
India that have been suspended since the
pandemic and never resumed because of
border clashes back in 2020. So, this is
a good first step. Not a huge newsworthy
event in itself, but it the courting of
Modi and the courting of India against
the backdrop of Washington's pressure on
India because of their purchases of
Russian oil to fuel the war in Ukraine
is offering Xiinping and the Chinese an
opportunity, a diplomatic gift if you
will uh for the SEO.
>> And big news this week also the military
parading China. What are we expecting?
Yeah. Well, about 26 world leaders are
going to be there as well. Again, Modi
not going to be in attendance. That is
still part of that strategic autonomy uh
you know strategy from the Indians. Uh
but Kim Jong-un will be there. Vladimir
Putin will be there and other world
leaders. Uh one world leader has not
come to SEO will not be at the parade.
Uh that is Proo from Indonesia because
of the unrest that is happening in the
streets of Jakarta. Uh but again we're
going to have leaders from well here at
SEO for sure we're going to have
interestingly the leader of Turkey so
Erdogan which is a NATO nation obviously
also Egypt uh Malaysia and others uh
coming from around the world again as
Xiinping tries to portray not only
there's an alternative to the US-led
world order but there is a military
might that has been modernized here in
China. So, we're likely to see all the
latest military hardware and technology
from drones to intercontinental
ballistic missiles and hypersonic
missiles and to their latest uh jet
fighters overhead uh in Tianaan Square
on and stand.