Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the mutual benefits and win-win results of membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) when addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in north China’s port city of Tianjin on Monday.

Xi hailed SCO member states for delivering groundbreaking and historic achievements in the organisation’s development and cooperation since its founding 24 years ago.

Maintaining world peace and stability

Xi listed a series of “firsts” accomplished by SCO member states, highlighting the regional organisation’s contribution to world peace and stability.

“We were the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in our border areas, turning our extensive borders into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation,” Xi said, adding that the SCO was also the first grouping to “conclude a treaty on long-term good-neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation, proclaiming our commitment to forge lasting friendship and refrain from hostilities.”

Xi also said the SCO member states were the first to take multilateral action against the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism. In 2024, authorities from the SCO member states conducted the “Interaction-2024” joint counter-terrorism exercise in northwest China.

During his address, the Chinese president said the SCO member states should put into use the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Threats and Challenges as soon as possible.

Boosting regional development and prosperity

SCO member states have enhanced mutually beneficial cooperation in part through Belt and Road partnerships.

In recent years, a number of economic and trade parks, such as the Pengsheng Industrial Park in Uzbekistan and the China-Russia (Shenyang) Economic and Trade Cooperation Industrial Park, have been established and completed, accelerating the integration of regional industrial chains.

Another example, the China-Belarus Industrial Park, located 25 kilometres from Minsk, the capital of Belarus, houses mechanical manufacturing, electronics, logistics, medical care and biotechnology companies.  

The park, covering an area of more than 110 square kilometres, was founded in 2010. It has attracted 154 enterprises, many of them Chinese, investment of over $1.6 billion and created 16,000 jobs, according to Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov.

In April, the China-SCO Conference on Industrial Cooperation for Sustainable Development saw eight SCO members sign cooperation contracts totalling nearly $665.82 million.

In addition, the China-Europe Railway Express has operated more than 110,000 train services.

Looking ahead, Xi said SCO member states should continue to pursue mutual benefit and win-win results, vowing China will march toward modernisation hand in hand with other SCO countries.

“We should leverage the strengths of our mega-sized markets and economic complementarity between member states, and improve trade and investment facilitation,” Xi said.

“China’s cumulative trade with other SCO countries has surpassed $2.3 trillion, hitting ahead of schedule the target that I had set,” the Chinese president noted.

He added that the SCO member states will set up an SCO development bank as soon as possible, and said China plans to implement 100 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects in member states with such need.

Practicing real multilateralism

Xi also stressed the importance of practicing multilateralism and opposing hegemonism in his address, saying the SCO was the first grouping to put forth the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit as an effort to practice true multilateralism.

“The SCO always stands on the side of international fairness and justice, champions inclusiveness and mutual learning between civilisations, and opposes hegemonism and power politics, thus becoming a proactive force for world peace and development,” said Xi.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that amid global challenges caused by “unilateralism and coercive measures,” the SCO holds significant importance in providing an effective platform for Global South cooperation, safeguarding developing nations’ interests, and upholding a multilateral, rules-based international order.

Since its 2001 founding with six members, the SCO has expanded to include 10 member states, two observers and 14 dialogue partners – making it the world’s largest regional organisation by area and population. Despite deep historical, cultural and political differences among members, the SCO has advanced cooperation in various areas such as security, trade, energy and agriculture. It has strengthened regional stability while boosting connectivity and shared prosperity. 

As the Global Times noted in an editorial, the SCO has become “a model of a new type of international relations – an evolving living history of the practice of multilateralism.”

CGTN

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