Shanghai: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization should strive to promote regional stability and prosperity while contributing to common development worldwide, Premier Li Qiang said.
Li made the remarks while addressing the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of Member States of the SCO in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
Li said that China is ready to work with relevant countries to fund 1,000 medical personnel from the SCO countries for further studies in China in order to enhance the wellbeing of the people of the region.
He said that China is also ready to strengthen coordination with various parties in order to establish rules and regulations for the four security centers of the SCO at an early date.
Li added that China is ready to work with all member states to enhance the SCO’s operational efficiency and strengthen and consolidate cooperation projects.
He called for leveraging the SCO’s guiding role, advancing its high-quality development, implementing the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and building a community with a shared future for humanity.
In recent years, the international community has seen growing calls to strengthen multilateralism and reform and improve global governance, Li noted.
The SCO should strive to unite more international partners and play a proactive role on the global stage, he said, adding that it is particularly important to seek common ground while reserving differences and to build consensus while resolving differences.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, the volume of China’s annual trade with SCO member states reached $523.5 billion last year.
The SCO should strengthen economic and trade cooperation and promote regional economic integration by leveraging the complementary strengths of its members, build a stable and resilient system of international transport corridors, and safeguard the stability and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains, Li said.
He underlined the need to seek common interests amid differences in countries’ concerns and work together to uphold world peace and stability, while promoting harmony and coexistence amid cultural differences.
After the meeting, Li signed and issued a joint communique along with other attending leaders of the member states.
The leaders approved cooperation documents covering areas such as trade, investment, industry and connectivity, as well as resolutions related to the development of the SCO.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO’s founding.
The attending parties noted that over the past 25 years, the SCO has continued to develop and grow, with its international influence increasing day by day, and that all parties should actively implement the outcomes of last year’s Tianjin summit and September’s Bishkek summit.
The Chinese premier said the Bishkek summit yielded a series of important outcomes, injecting new momentum into the promotion of peace and development.
Meanwhile, factors contributing to global instability and uncertainty continue to increase, he added.
Currently, various thoughts and views are interacting and competing on the international stage, but multipolarity and economic globalization remain the prevailing trend, Li said.
The SCO should continue to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and commit itself not only to the region’s stability and prosperity, but also to contributing to the common development of the world, he said.
He added that the SCO countries share a common aspiration to jointly promote friendship, safeguard security and pursue development, and that they need to maintain their resolve, stand in solidarity and move forward with courage and determination. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
