How Xi cements neighborly bonds with SCO friends

SHARED HOME OF PEACE

The blue glass of the futuristic facade of the Palace of Independence shone in the sunlight when SCO leaders arrived in Astana in July last year for their annual gathering. In his speech delivered at the group's first-ever "SCO Plus" Meeting, Xi called for building a more beautiful home of the SCO, with building "a common home of peace and tranquility" among the five priorities.

The SCO was born more than two decades ago when the acute security challenges of terrorism, separatism and extremism -- the "three evil forces" -- were posing menacing threats in Central Asia and neighboring areas. Since its founding in 2001, the group has maintained safeguarding regional security as a mainstay of collaboration.

"Security is a prerequisite for national development, and safety is the lifeline to happiness of the people," Xi said in Astana.

For years, the Chinese leader has championed strengthening security cooperation to provide lines of defense for SCO members. At the SCO Dushanbe Summit in 2014, Xi proposed to negotiate and sign the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism. The convention was signed by member states in Astana in 2017.

The Chinese leader has also been a strong advocate of the SCO's fight against drug trafficking, organized crime and cyber-terrorism, resulting in notable successes.

Take drug trafficking. The group organizes anti-drug operations regularly, and has renewed its Anti-Drug Strategy for five years. In its most recent development, SCO members carried out an anti-drug operation dubbed "Web" earlier this month, with China chairing the coordination headquarters. The operation seized nearly 10 tons of narcotic drugs and identified 1,151 crimes related to illicit narco trafficking.

Apart from the SCO, the Chinese leader also seeks to advance common security in the region through other channels of cooperation, stating that a "vision of harmony and peaceful co-existence underpins China's neighborhood diplomacy."