Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be meeting for the second time in as many months as they visit Kazakhstan for a session of an international group founded to counter Western alliances. Putin and Xi last got together in May when the Kremlin leader visited Beijing to underscore their close partnership that opposes the US-led democratic order and seeks to promote a “multipolar” world.

Now they’ll be holding meetings amid the annual session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Wednesday and Thursday in the Kazakh capital of Astana. A look at the summit: