SCO Synergy

The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit will be held in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China’s Shandong Province, on June 9-10. Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the meeting of leaders of SCO member states and observer nations, as well as chiefs of relevant international organizations. This year’s summit is the first since the organization was enlarged at last year’s Astana Summit in Kazakhstan, where India and Pakistan were granted full SCO member status, joining China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Since its establishment in 2001, the SCO has become a new type of orga- nization for regional cooperation with profound international influence, playing a positive role in boosting stability and se- curity in Eurasia and the world at large. The SCO has carved out a path of peaceful development under the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit, which is charac- terized by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for cultural diversity and aspiration for common development. The organ ization has dovetailed with the trend of peace and development after the Cold War and shown the great potential for collaboration between countries with different cultural backgrounds.

It has also made positive contributions to the international fight against terror- ism. Security cooperation is a key area of collaboration among SCO member states and the SCO was among the fi rst group of international organizations committed to anti-terrorism. SCO member states signed the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism on June 15, 2001, the day the organization was established. The document pre- scribed concrete measures to crack down on the forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, which were each given a clear defi nition.

The SCO has also contributed to re- gional cooperation. Member states have been dedicated to strengthening mutual trust and friendship through joint efforts in areas such as trade, science and technol- ogy, culture, and education. The China- proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the SCO Development Bank have become im- portant platforms for achieving common prosperity.

China is the rotating chair of the SCO this year. The Qingdao Summit is set to be a new milestone in the history of the organization. During the meeting, a series of activities will be held to promote mu- tual understanding and communication between SCO member states, observer nations and dialogue partners. Participants are expected to exchange views on major international and regional issues of com- mon concern to build consensus under the new circumstances and enable the SCO to play a bigger role in regional peace and stability.

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