Reasons for SCO to strengthen cooperation

BEIJING - The prime minister's meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Zhengzhou this week will focus heavily on combating terrorism this year as member states take another vital step in safeguarding regional stability.

Attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the meeting from Monday to Tuesday has gathered representatives from SCO's six member states - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Government leaders from Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are also attending as observers.

Unlike the SCO summit, which sets goals and development strategies, the two-day prime minister's meeting focuses on implementation of the trade, exchange and security cooperation goals made at the summit. It is considered one of the key mechanisms for the SCO.

During the SCO summit in July, leaders approved the organization's development strategy up to the year 2025.

Anti-terrorism will be high on the agenda this year as the world is confronted with new, severe terrorist challenges, said Shi Ze, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS).

According to Shi, the security situation is still fragile in Pakistan, putting pressure on SCO member states. Meanwhile, SCO member states are close to areas where the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, also known as ISIL or ISIS, has been conducting terrorist attacks.

"Anti-terrorism is an urgent task for all member states in the bloc," Shi said.

The SCO formed the Executive Committee of Regional Anti-Terrorist to help prevent terrorism in 2004, but more work needs to be done in light of the new situation.

The leaders are expected to discuss how to prevent the penetration of terrorist forces as well as how to better coordinate information and exchanges.

They are also expected to sign a host of cooperation deals and SCO internal affairs resolutions, according to vice foreign minister Cheng Guoping. Among the most anticipated is a plan to make customs clearances between member countries much easier between 2016 to 2021, in order to promote trade within the bloc.

This year's meeting takes place in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan province. It was previously hosted in Beijing in 2003 and 2009.

Since its founding in 2001, the increasingly influential bloc has made remarkable achievements toward improving security and cooperation in anti-terrorism, providing a crucial platform for arranging several joint-military drills in the region. The SCO has also worked with the United Nations in fighting terrorism.

"Regional stability is important for every member state, as it is an issue relevant not only to security but also to development," Shi said.

Since security and economic cooperation are often regarded as the two "wheels" of the SCO, boosting regional economic development will also be a main topic at the meeting.

Currently, member states are facing pressure from an economic downturn as energy prices drop and the global financial crisis lingers, according to Chen Yurong, a researcher with the CIIS and secretary-general of the Chinese Center for the SCO Studies.

During the meeting, China will reiterate its support for regional cooperation, including through the Belt and Road initiative, vice foreign minister Cheng said. The China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk road initiatives seek to form a trade, investment and infrastructure network that connects Asia with Europe and Africa.

Among other achievements, the initiative played a crucial role in a consensus reached between China and Kazakhstan on industrial capacity cooperation last year.

In the past 12 months, China and Kazakhstan kicked off dozens of projects with deals worth about 23 billion US dollars.

At the SCO summit in July, member states began laying out plans to form a development fund and bank in order to support projects including infrastructure and energy.

As the host of this meeting, China will discuss an array of new measures and work to establish priority areas for regional cooperation, according to Cheng.