Xi’s upcoming Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan visits to foster SCO cooperation

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping attendance of 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of state of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is expected to promote the development of the SCO and enhance China’s relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, the first inter-governmental organization named after a Chinese city, has had an extraordinary journey.

After 21 years, the organization, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice.

Within the framework of the SCO, countries have supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns. Together, they have fought against terrorism, separatism and extremism, and taken tough actions to curb the spread of drug trafficking, cybercrime and transnational organized crime. People-to-people programs such as art festivals, the SCO University and the SCO Forum on Traditional Medicine have been launched.

With such fruitful achievements, the SCO has grown into the world’s largest and most populous regional institution, and it has endeavored to explore new ground, both theoretically and with actual steps, with a view to building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

Practices over the years have shown that the values embodied and advocated by the Shanghai Spirit have been fully recognized by the member states, said Zhang Ming, secretary-general of the SCO.

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the SCO Charter and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, global attention has been placed on the upcoming Samarkand Summit of the SCO, where Xi and other leaders will discuss how to jointly address global challenges and promote security and development.

In fact, as a founding member of the SCO, China has been committed to promoting a sound development of the organization. Since 2013, President Xi has put forward a series of initiatives while participating in the SCO summits, which have enriched the Shanghai Spirit.

Xi’s remarks have summarized the SCO’s practices, and adequately met the needs of regional governance and the requirements of the organization’s development, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for SCO Studies.

As the world is witnessing profound changes, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese leader has proposed the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, which have been widely recognized by the international community, including SCO countries.

China’s efforts to promote SCO development in economic and trade, as well as in other areas including health and poverty alleviation have benefited people in different countries.

Within the framework of the SCO, the member states are witnessing significant economic development, great improvement in people’s lives and closer relations with each other, which has attracted countries outside the organization, Zhang, secretary-general of the SCO, said.

Last year, the SCO launched procedures to admit Iran as a full member state. Moreover, it has granted dialogue partner status to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

Committed to true multilateralism, the SCO has always opposed hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts, and will never attempt the forming of cliques.

To translate true multilateralism into practice, the organization has been making full use of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and actively cooperating with such international and regional organizations as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.

It has also been promoting synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the development strategies of various countries and regional cooperation initiatives such as the Eurasian Economic Union.

Khaled Akram, Executive director of the Center for Global and Strategic Studies of Pakistan, said that as unstable and uncertain factors are on the rise globally, the SCO needs to strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs and firmly uphold true multilateralism.

I believe that with the joint efforts of all countries, the summit will achieve a series of important consensus and outcomes, and serve as new impetus and new direction for the SCO to achieve new and greater development plans, he told People’s Daily.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Kazakhstan as well as between China and Uzbekistan.

Over the past 30 years, China’s relations with the two countries have maintained a sound momentum of development. In 2013, 2015 and 2017, Xi paid three visits to Kazakhstan where the Silk Road Economic Belt was initiated.

Since 2013, China-Kazakhstan relations have achieved leapfrog development with the Belt and Road cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the people of the two countries.

China-Uzbekistan relations are at a historic high. The two countries have strengthened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful practical cooperation and maintained close coordination in international and regional affairs.

Xi visited Uzbekistan in 2013 and 2016. In 2016, China-Uzbekistan relations were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, China has been Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner and largest destination of exports.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides have carried out close cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment, energy, transportation, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges, and undertaken a number of projects.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are both important participants and contributors to Belt and Road cooperation.

Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in line with the concepts of “a green Silk Road” and “a digital Silk Road,” practical cooperation among SCO member states will be expanded to green development, digital economy and other areas in the future.

After more than 20 years of development, the organization has been forging ahead toward closer cooperation. As the Samarkand Summit is approaching, the SCO is expected to continuously uphold the Shanghai Spirit, commit itself to building a closer SCO community with a shared future, and make greater contributions to lasting peace and the common development of the world.

 

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