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Promoting the building of a closer SCO

source：Silk Road Dialogue Committee|Release time：2022-09-22|Number of views：

President Xi Jinping Attends the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States and delivers an important speech

Emphasis on upholding the "Shanghai Spirit" and strengthening solidarity and cooperation

Promoting the building of a closer SCO community

with a shared future

Xinhua News Agency, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, September 16. (Reporter Ni Siyi and Sun Hao) On September 16, local time, President Xi Jinping attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at the Samarkand International Conference Center.

Promoting the building of a closer SCO (图1)

On September 16, local time, President Xi Jinping attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States at the Samarkand International Conference Center and delivered an important speech. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren

President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, presided over the meeting, the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Observer State Belarus President Lukashenko, Iranian President Raisi, Mongolian President Khurelsukh, The guests of the presidency were Turkmen President Shcherdar Berdymukhamedov, Azerbaijani President Aliyev, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and representatives of relevant international and regional organizations.

Promoting the building of a closer SCO (图2)

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states before the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO at the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. Xi attended the restricted session here on Friday. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the meeting entitled "Ride on the Trend of the Times and Enhance Solidarity and Cooperation to Embrace a Better Future".

President Xi Jinping pointed out, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the SCO Charter and 15th anniversary of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Between the SCO Member States. Taking these two programmatic documents as the ideological cornerstone and action guide, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has gradually successfully explored a new path for the growth of a new type of international organization, and accumulated and formed a series of important and enlightening successful experiences, namely, insisting on political mutual trust and mutual benefit. Cooperation, adhere to equal treatment, adhere to openness and inclusiveness, adhere to fairness and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit, namely, mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development. It has been shown that this spirit is the source of strength for the development of the SCO. It is also the fundamental guide we must continue to follow in the years to come. We owe SCO’s remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead.

President Xi Jinping emphasized that, at present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and the world is entering a new period of turbulence and change. Human society is standing at a crossroads and facing unprecedented challenges. Under the new situation, the SCO, as an important constructive force in international and regional affairs, must have the courage to face the changing international situation, firmly grasp the trend of the times, continuously strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and promote the building of a closer SCO community with a shared future.

First, we need to enhance mutual support. We should strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication, deepen mutual understanding and political trust, and support each other in our efforts to uphold security and development interests. We should guard against attempts by external forces to instigate “color revolution”, jointly oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs under any pretext, and hold our future firmly in our own hands.

Second, we need to expand security cooperation. All parties are welcome to participate in the implementation of the global security initiative, uphold the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and promote the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. Strictly crack down on the "three evil forces", drug smuggling, cyber and transnational organized crime, and effectively respond to non-traditional security challenges such as data security, biosecurity, and outer space security. China is ready to train 2,000 law enforcement personnel for SCO member states in the next five years, and establish a China-SCO base for training counter-terrorism personnel, so as to enhance capacity-building for law enforcement of SCO member states.

Third, we need to deepen practical cooperation. To deliver a better life for people of all countries in the region is our shared goal. The Global Development Initiative launched by China aims to focus global attention on development, foster global development partnership, and achieve more robust, greener and more balanced global development. China is ready to work with all other stakeholders to pursue this initiative in our region to support the sustainable development of regional countries. We need to implement the two statements on safeguarding international energy and food security to be adopted by this summit and better protect energy and food security. China will provide developing countries in need with emergency humanitarian assistance of grain and other supplies worth 1.5 billion RMB yuan. We welcome the Comprehensive Plan for the Implementation of the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for 2023-2027 to be adopted at this summit. We should fully implement the cooperation documents in such areas as trade and investment, infrastructure building, protecting supply chains, scientific and technological innovation and artificial intelligence to be adopted within the framework of the summit. It is important to continue our efforts to achieve the complementarity of the Belt and Road Initiative with national development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives, expand sub-multilateral cooperation and sub-regional cooperation, and create more growth drivers in cooperation. We need to ensure implementation of the roadmap for SCO member states to expand shares of local currency settlement, better develop the system for cross-border payment and settlement in local currencies, work for the establishment of an SCO development bank, and thus speed up regional economic integration. Next year, China will host an SCO ministers’ meeting on development cooperation and an industrial and supply chains forum, and will set up the China-SCO Big Data Cooperation Center to create new engines of common development. China stands ready to carry out space cooperation with all other parties and provide satellite data service to support them in agricultural development, connectivity and disaster mitigation and relief.

Fourth, we need to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Exchanges promote integration among civilizations, which, in turn, enables civilizations to advance. We should deepen cooperation in such areas as education, science and technology, culture, health, media, radio and television, ensure the continued success of signature programs such as the youth exchange camp, the women’s forum, the forum on people-to-people friendship and the forum on traditional medicine, and support the SCO Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation and other non-official organizations in playing their due roles. China will build a China-SCO ice and snow sports demonstration zone and host the SCO forums on poverty reduction and sustainable development and on sister cities next year. In the next three years, China will carry out 2,000 free cataract operations for SCO member states and provide 5,000 human resources training opportunities for them.

Fifth, we need to uphold multilateralism. Obsession with forming a small circle can only push the world toward division and confrontation. We should remain firm in safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, practice the common values of humanity and reject zero-sum game and bloc politics. We should expand SCO’s exchanges with other international and regional organizations such as the UN, so as to jointly uphold true multilateralism, improve global governance, and ensure that the international order is more just and equitable.

President Xi Jinping emphasized that maintaining the peace and development of the Eurasian continent is the common aspiration of all countries in the region and the world, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization shoulders an important responsibility for this. Promoting the development and expansion of the organization and exerting its positive influence will inject positive energy and create new vitality for the maintenance of lasting peace and common prosperity in the Eurasian continent and the world. China supports the expansion of staff in an active and prudent manner, seizes opportunities, builds consensus, deepens cooperation, and jointly creates a bright future for the Eurasian continent.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that since the beginning of this year, China has insisted on coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, which has not only protected people's lives and health to the greatest extent, but also stabilized the fundamentals of economic and social development to the greatest extent. China's economy is resilient, has ample potential, has wide room for manoeuvre, and its long-term positive fundamentals will not change. It will provide strong momentum for the stabilization and recovery of the world economy and provide broader market opportunities for other countries. In another month, we will hold the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to comprehensively summarize the major achievements and valuable experiences of China's reform and development, fully grasp the new requirements for the development of China's cause in the new era and new journey, and the new expectations of the people, and formulate actions. Program and general policy. We will persist in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization, continue to actively promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, bring new opportunities to the world with China's new development, and contribute wisdom and strength to world peace and development and the progress of human civilization.

President Xi Jinping finally emphasized that although the road is long, the journey will come. Let us vigorously carry forward the "Shanghai Spirit", promote the steady and long-term development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and jointly build a beautiful homeland of peace, stability, prosperity and beauty.

Leaders of member states signed and issued the “Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”. The meeting issued a number of statements and documents on maintaining international food security, international energy security, addressing climate change, maintaining the security, stability and diversification of supply chains, signed a memorandum on Iran's obligations to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and started the process of accepting Belarus as a member state , approved Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, agreed to Bahrain, Maldives, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Myanmar as new dialogue partners, approved a series of resolutions such as the implementation outline for the next five years of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Long-term Cooperation among member states. The meeting decided that India would take over the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization from 2022 to 2023.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and others attended the meeting.