China to put forward proposals for promoting Shanghai Spirit, deepening cooperation at upcoming SCO summit

Photo taken on Nov. 4, 2020 shows a light show at the Lujiazui area in Shanghai, east China. [Xinhua/Zhang Haofu]

BEIJING -- At the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China will put forward new proposals for promoting the Shanghai Spirit, consolidating solidarity and mutual trust in the SCO and deepening cooperation in various fields, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said in Beijing on Thursday.

Le made the remarks at a news conference where he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Beijing on Nov. 10, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and will deliver an important speech. The meeting will be hosted via video link by Russia, which holds the rotating SCO presidency this year.

It is the first multilateral summit that President Xi will attend after the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and is China's major multilateral diplomatic action in the Eurasian region this year, he said.

Le said that all parties will exchange views on priority tasks to further strengthen SCO cooperation under the pandemic and on major international and regional issues.

He added that the summit, to be held against the interwoven backdrop of the global pandemic and great changes unseen in a hundred years, indicates all parties attach great importance to the development of the SCO, and that it shows their firm determination to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, to work together to deal with risks and challenges, and to jointly safeguard national security and development interests of regional countries.

Le said Xi and leaders of participating countries will discuss new thoughts and measures to jointly address risks and challenges, and promote security and stability as well as development and revitalization.

Xi will also put forward proposals for promoting the Shanghai Spirit, consolidating the solidarity and mutual trust in the SCO, deepening cooperation, strengthening the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with other countries' development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives, supporting multilateralism, and building a community with a shared future for humanity, the vice minister said.

The leaders of the member states will issue a statement and approve cooperation documents covering multiple fields. "China expects all sides to use the summit as an opportunity to strengthen the sense of community with a shared future, reach a new consensus on cooperation and formulate new cooperation measures, to inject strong impetus into achieving common development and rejuvenation," Le said.

Noting that the SCO has successfully explored a new development path for regional cooperation and development, Le said the SCO has yielded fruitful cooperation results. Member states have supported each other in following a development path that suits their own national conditions, and taking measures to safeguard national security and social stability.

SCO member states oppose external forces interfering in their internal affairs under any pretext, resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, and work together to deal with non-traditional security threats such as the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism, and separatism.

He said the SCO countries have maintained closer people-to-people exchanges and promoted in-depth cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science and technology, tourism, health, disaster reduction, and media exchanges.

On SCO anti-pandemic cooperation, Le said SCO member states have vigorously supported each other in fighting the pandemic, voiced strong support to international anti-pandemic cooperation, and supported the SCO in its effective collaboration with the World Health Organization.

All these actions have effectively protected the lives and health of the people in the region, injected positive energy into global anti-pandemic cooperation and made important contributions to the building of a community of common health for mankind.