China endeavors to foster more united, prosperous SCO community

* Noting that modernization is the shared goal of all countries in the SCO, Xi proposed at the SCO+ meeting that 2025 be designated as the SCO Year of Sustainable Development so as to help the SCO members focus on fostering new forces for growth.

* When attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, Xi called on the SCO members to ensure security in the face of real threat from the Cold War mentality.

* Since its inception in China's Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners.

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for building a common home of prosperity and development, and called on the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to ensure security in the face of real threat from the Cold War mentality.

Xi made the appeal when attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and the expanded meeting of the SCO, or SCO+.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the Independence Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 4, 2024. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

COMMON PROSPERITY

Noting that modernization is the shared goal of all countries in the SCO, Xi proposed at the SCO+ meeting that 2025 be designated as the SCO Year of Sustainable Development so as to help the SCO members focus on fostering new forces for growth.

"We will promote regional cooperation through platforms such as the demonstration base for agricultural technology exchange and training, the local economic and trade cooperation demonstration area, and the ecology and environment innovation base," Xi said.

"We will also expand local currency settlement, and actively promote the establishment of an SCO financing platform," he added.

China welcomes all parties to use the Beidou Satellite Navigation System and participate in the development of the International Lunar Research Station, said Xi, adding that China will provide at least 1,000 training opportunities on digital technology to fellow countries in the SCO in the next three years.

Initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative promote regional economic integration, while SCO member states are working to promote cooperation based on mutual respect and common interests, said Abdulaziz Alshaabani, a Saudi researcher at Al Riyadh Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber said that the SCO offers great opportunities for cooperation in the fields of trade, production, energy, transportation, agriculture, customs, and telecommunications, as well as the development of technology, which should be used for the benefit and the welfare of nations and the establishment of sustainable peace in the region and around the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the Independence Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 4, 2024. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

SHARED SECURITY

When attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, Xi called on the SCO members to ensure security in the face of real threat from the Cold War mentality.

He urged the member states to adhere to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, address complex and intertwined security challenges through dialogue and coordination, and respond to the profoundly changing international landscape with a win-win approach, so as to build a world of lasting peace and universal security.

The SCO founding members made a historical decision to pursue peaceful development, commit to good-neighborliness and friendship, and build a new type of international relations, Xi said, adding that the "Shanghai Spirit" has become a shared value and guiding principle for the member states.

Noting that real security is premised on the security of all countries, Xi said at the SCO+ meeting that the SCO countries need to respect the development path of respective and independent choosing, and support each other in safeguarding core interests.

"The SCO should move faster to build a universal center and its branches to address the challenges and threats to the security of SCO member states and the Anti-Drug Center. It should strengthen intelligence sharing and conduct joint operations to jointly safeguard security in our part of the world," Xi said.

As the current chair of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, China will do what it can to ensure the success of the Interaction-2024 joint counterterrorism exercise and other events, Xi added.

The SCO has established itself as an effective and highly-valued structure within the international security system, with strong prospects for further development, said Bolat Nurgaliyev, former Secretary-General of the SCO.

In the context of the intertwined global turmoil, SCO countries must unite and maintain common security, which is the foundation of the SCO, said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with leaders attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the Independence Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 4, 2024. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

EXPANDED COMMUNITY

In a major development for the SCO, Belarus was formally accepted as the 10th member state of the inter-governmental organization at Thursday's summit.

The latest expansion bolsters the SCO's capacity for regional cooperation and strengthens its influence on the global stage, underscoring its role as a vital platform for addressing contemporary security and economic challenges.

Belarus' accession to the SCO is a wonderful gift to the Belarusian nation, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"Belarus is very proud to become a full member of the SCO. We will strengthen the Shanghai Spirit of the organization based on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and solidarity," Lukashenko said Thursday.

Since its inception in China's Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners.

The SCO has withstood the test of the changing international landscape, the root cause of which lies in the fact that SCO members remain committed to the fine tradition of solidarity and coordination, the way of cooperation featuring equality and mutual benefit, the value pursuit on fairness and justice, and the broad-mindedness of inclusiveness and mutual learning, Xi said when attending the 24th SCO summit.

It is expected that Belarus will leverage its unique advantages to invigorate the organization with new energy, said Yuri Yarmolinsky, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research.

"We see that the number of those wishing to become members, observers, dialogue partners is constantly growing," said Nurgaliyev. "This is proof that the SCO is a very popular and effective structure that has found its niche in the system of international security and cooperation."

The continuous expansion of the SCO is a testament to the organization's vitality and broad prospects, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director at Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement.

"This trend enhances the SCO's regional and global influence, promotes multilateral cooperation, and provides numerous opportunities for economic, security and cultural collaboration," said Jaiswal.