On Wednesday (Jul 3), Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their unity and commitment to deepening ties while at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It is a Beijing-led regional bloc that covers Central Asia, India and Iran and is designed as a counterweight to US influence in international affairs. Aurel Braun, Professor of International Relations at the University of Toronto, tells CNA’s Asia First that he finds it difficult to see how the SCO could become a successful collective defence organisation, as there are “just far too many differences among the members”.

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