PEARLS OF WISDOM

With the aim of further promoting regional peace and development, the First Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Political Parties Forum was held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on May 26, marking the establishment of a brand new mechanism.

Under the theme of Pooling Wisdom of Political Parties, Promoting the Shanghai Spirit and Building a Global Community with a Shared Future, the forum was hosted by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and attended by around 200 represen- tatives from more than 30 political parties in 18 SCO member states, observers and dia- logue partners.

“As the forerunners and guides of na- tional development, political parties play a leading role in building a global community with a shared future and making the world a better place. Promoting exchanges between SCO political parties is sure to boost its fu- ture development,” said Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

According to Song, the CPC is willing to make every effort to advance the construc- tion of an SCO community with a shared future featuring equality, mutual support and solidarity together with other SCO members.

Learning together

“As a regional organization whose member states account for approximately half of the world’s population, the SCO has become a model for peaceful development and cul- tural exchange,” said Sergey Zheleznyak, deputy secretary of the General Council of the United Russia Party, during the forum. “Political parties are the most active forces in political life. When we get together under the framework of the SCO for dia- logue, we can exchange our experience of managing parties and nations, which could open a new chapter in SCO cooperation,” Zheleznyak said.

“The forum is productive and pragmatic, and under the framework of SCO coopera- tion, it is necessary for all political parties to conduct exchanges and promote partner- ships in security, economic and cultural development, education, and tourism,” said Nariman Umarov, President of the Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan.

Anirban Ganguly, special representative of the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India, noted that the successful conclusion of the forum signifies the efficient partner- ships among member countries under the SCO framework, and that endeavors should be made to further exchange experience of governance and promote mutual learning “It is the shared desire of all attendees to learn from each other’s experience of governance at the party and national level, and bilateral and multilateral relations will inevitably benefit from the sharing of ideas on development and party construction and governance,” Ganguly said . Following the discussion, consensus was reached on maintaining the Shanghai Spirit, striving to build an SCO community with a shared future, strengthening coordination on action plans and promoting the institu- tionalization of the forum, according to Guo Yezhou, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a news conference held after the conclu- sion of the forum.

“The forum helped create a positive and friendly atmosphere for the upcoming SCO Summit,” which will be held in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in June, said Guo. As the philosophical underpinning of the SCO, the Shanghai Spirit espouses reciprocal trust, mutual benefit, equality, two-way con- sultation, respect for cultural diversity and the pursuit of common development. Extremist, separatist and protectionist behaviors are in violation of these principles, and cooperative multilateral initiatives such as the Belt and Road and the Eurasian Copyedited by Laurence Coulton Comments to dengyaqing@bjreview.com Economic Union should be further strength- ened according to Zheleznyak, who believes the key to pushing forward these initiatives lies in the Shanghai Spirit.

Representatives were in agreement that the Shanghai Spirit is a dynamic set of practi- cal values applicable at any time and in any region, and that it is the source of strength and the foundation of cooperation within the SCO, fundamental for all political parties to build consensus.

Attendees agreed that exchanges between political parties under the framework of the SCO not only facilitate cooperation and communication, but also contribute wisdom and effective approaches toward the build- ing of a community with a shared future for mankind.

“The SCO has developed into a unique regional organization and an important guarantee for security and stable develop- ment in the Eurasian region,” said Muratbek Imanaliev, former Secretary General of the SCO.

“Under the SCO framework, guided by the Shanghai Spirit, the platform for dialogue and communication between political par- ties will press ahead with the establishment of a new type of international relations and propel the building of a community with a shared future for mankind,” Imanaliev said. Representatives noted that the Belt and Road Initiative is the most practical approach to achieving this goal.

“The Belt and Road Initiative has brought about hope and well-being for people in the developing world, and it is the only road which can lead the people of Asia and the world to common prosperity,” Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussein said.