BEIJING: President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is part of a major diplomatic move by Beijing toward its neighbors and will give a strong boost to the building of the SCO community with a shared future, analysts said.
From Tuesday to Saturday, Xi will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and make state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Sunday. Xi has attended the SCO summit for 11 consecutive years since 2013 and delivered speeches to each gathering in a face-to-face or virtual format.
He has frequently emphasized the need to carry forward the “Shanghai Spirit” — a tenet of the grouping that features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development.
In addition, Xi has issued China’s initiatives at the gatherings on boosting solidarity and cooperation within the grouping. For example, at last year’s summit, hosted by India, he announced that the country will carry out digital technology training programs in collaboration with the China-SCO Big Data Cooperation Center, and will host an SCO national green development forum. The upcoming visit is “another major diplomatic action of China toward Central Asian countries” and the Eurasian region, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Xi’s visit will further pool strength for the SCO to work together in the same boat, promote the quality and upgrading of cooperation in many fields, including economy, security and culture, and “inject more positivity into world peace and development”.
At the summit in Astana, leaders of member states will discuss a wide range of topics such as politics, trade, economy and culture. Leaders of observer states and dialogue partner countries will also attend, according to the Kazakh government.
The summit will witness the signing of a series of documents, including the SCO Development Strategy through 2035, Kazakh officials said.
In the 23 years since its founding, the SCO has made remarkable achievements in maintaining the region’s security and stability, deepening practical cooperation in various fields, and increasing its international influence and appeal, analysts said.
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming suggested that the member states continue to carry forward the “Shanghai Spirit” and advance the implementation of the organization’s teamwork in various fields. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
