Xi calls for forging ahead with solid steps as SCO convenes largest-ever summit

TIANJIN -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called on Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge ahead with solid steps for a better future as the organization convenes its largest-ever summit in China's port city of Tianjin.

Addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, Xi called on the member states to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit in a world fraught with challenges and changes, and better tap into the organization's potential.

GROUNDBREAKING ACHIEVEMENTS

Founded in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members into the world's largest regional organization with cooperation covering more than 50 areas and a combined economic output of nearly $30 trillion.

"Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day," Xi said, hailing "groundbreaking and historic achievements" in SCO development and cooperation.

The organization was the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in border areas and launch Belt and Road cooperation. "We were the first to conclude a treaty on long-term good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, proclaiming our commitment to forging lasting friendship and refraining from hostilities," he said.

The member states were also the first to put forth the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit as an effort to practice true multilateralism.

"We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and make the global governance system more just and equitable," he added.

MORE PRAGMATIC ACTIONS

Xi called on SCO member states to stay true to the organization's founding mission, and promote its sound and sustained development with greater resolve and more practical measures.

SCO member states should seek common ground while putting aside differences, pursue mutual benefit and win-win results, champion openness and inclusiveness, uphold fairness and justice, and strive for real results and high efficiency, according to Xi.

"SCO member states are all friends and partners," he said, calling on them to respect their differences, maintain strategic communication, build up consensus, and strengthen solidarity and collaboration.

Xi said the member states should leverage the strengths of their mega-sized markets and economic complementarity, and improve trade and investment facilitation.

He expected cooperation to be enhanced in areas such as energy, infrastructure, green industry, digital economy, sci-tech innovation and artificial intelligence, as well as an SCO development bank to be established as soon as possible.

To ensure better development of the SCO with real actions, Xi announced that China will provide 2 billion yuan (about $281 million) in grant to other SCO member states within this year, and issue an additional 10 billion yuan in loan to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years.

In addition, China plans to implement 100 "small and beautiful" livelihood projects in the member states with such need. In the next five years, China will establish 10 Luban Workshops in the countries and provide 10,000 human resources training opportunities.

China's investment stock in other SCO member states has exceeded $84 billion, and its annual bilateral trade with other SCO member states has surpassed $500 billion.

"China always aligns its development with that of the SCO and with the aspiration of the people of member states for a better life," Xi said.

A FRUITFUL MEETING

Monday's meeting saw the signing and adoption of a number of key documents, including the Tianjin Declaration and a development strategy for the organization in the 2026-2035 period, which charts the SCO's blueprint for the next decade.

Leaders of SCO member states agreed to accept Laos as a dialogue partner of the organization, and decided that Kyrgyzstan will take over the rotating SCO presidency for 2025-2026.

Outcomes of the meeting also include a statement on supporting the multilateral trading system, a statement on the 80th anniversary of WWII victory and of the founding of the United Nations, and 24 outcome documents on strengthening cooperation in sectors such as security, economy and people-to-people ties, as well as organizational building.

Four new SCO centers were inaugurated to counter security threats and challenges, tackle transnational organized crimes, improve information security, and strengthen anti-drug cooperation, respectively.

Leaders of SCO member states, as well as SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Ularbek Sharsheev, delivered speeches at the meeting.

In the face of a turbulent world, SCO member states should enhance strategic coordination, reject unilateralism, hegemony and protectionism, improve the global governance system, and uphold international fairness and justice, they said.