Xi Proposes Initiatives to Strengthen SCO Cooperation for a Shared Future

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to strengthen cooperation and build a closer SCO community with a shared future at the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 14 to 16.

This was the SCO members’ first in-person meeting and Xi’s first overseas trip since the pandemic. In his speech at the summit, Xi highlighted the “Shanghai spirit,” including “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development,” as the “source of strength for the development of the SCO.” On the basis of the spirit and the “new phase of uncertainty and transformation” of the world today, he proposed five points, including enhancing mutual support, expanding security cooperation, deepening practical cooperation, enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges and upholding multilateralism.

The summit adopted over 40 outcome documents covering economy, finance, technology, culture, institution-building and external exchanges. Four major statements on international energy and food security, tackling climate change, and keeping supply chains secure, stable and diversified were adopted under China’s initiative.

Xi announced in his speech that China will train 2,000 law enforcement personnel for SCO member states in the next five years, establish a China-sco base for training counter-terrorism personnel, host an SCO ministers’ meeting on development cooperation and an industrial and supply chains forum next year, and set up the China-sco Big Data Cooperation Center. China is also ready to carry out space cooperation with all other parties and provide satellite data services to support them in agricultural development, connectivity and disaster mitigation and relief. And China will provide developing countries in need with emergency humanitarian assistance of grain and other supplies worth 1.5 billion yuan (US$221M). China will also build facilities and host events to promote people-to-people exchanges in sport, poverty reduction and health among SCO members.

“International commentary described the choice of Central Asia as President Xi Jinping’s first overseas visit since Covid-19 as one of major strategic significance and a strategic step China has taken to unite with its SCO friends in order to penetrate the attempted encirclement by the United States,” China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after Xi’s visit.

During his three-day visit, Xi attended nearly 30 events covering multilateral and bilateral events focusing on security and development. He paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan upon invitation, held bilateral meetings in Samarkand with the leaders of 10 countries attending the SCO Summit and attended a trilateral meeting between China, Russia and Mongolia.

Besides the eight full member countries, three observer countries, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, as well as guests of host Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey attended. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member and the SCO also started the procedure for Belarus’ accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners.