SCO advancing unity, coordination to realize greater development

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video conference from Beijing, capital of China, July 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and delivered an important speech via video conference in Beijing on July 4.

It was an important multilateral diplomatic action taken by China to better engage with Eurasia. Xi's remarks at the meeting injected important impetus into building SCO consensus for development and building an SCO community with a shared future.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward by Xi. Over the past decade, facing the changes of the world, of the times and of history, the SCO has always been at the forefront of the times, upholding this very vision and the Shanghai Spirit to build an SCO community with a shared future.

Xi summarized the experiences and achievements of SCO, charting the course for it to keep building an SCO community with a shared future.

The organization has followed its fine tradition of standing together through thick and thin, as passengers in the same boat should do, acted out the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, embraced the development philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared growth, carried forward the spirit of good-neighborliness, and advocated equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations, upheld international fairness and justice, and opposed hegemonic, high-handed, and bullying acts, Xi said in the speech.

SCO countries reiterated that to jointly build a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation and a community with a shared future for mankind is of important practical significance. It once again proved the strong influence and vitality of the vision.

Xi places high importance on the SCO. He always stresses the importance of upholding and carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit, and pursuing the organization's development as it pursues common development for humanity.

The Chinese President has attended multiple summits of the organization since 2013, drawing a blueprint for its development and guiding it toward long-term and stable development.

At previous SCO summits, he called on relevant parties to strengthen cooperation and get together for self improvement, and see each other in a common endeavor and a community with a shared future and interests. He also encouraged SCO countries to follow the Shanghai Spirit to build a community with a shared future for the region.

He always stresses the importance of solidarity and collaboration and has raised a series of initiatives for deepening SCO cooperation, winning active response and support from relevant parties.

The world today is undergoing both transformation and upheaval; changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace; human society faces unprecedented challenges. Unity or split, peace or conflict, cooperation or confrontation -- these are the questions raised again by the times.

Responding to the questions, Xi said that "The people's wish for a happy life is our goal, and peace, development and win-win cooperation are the unstoppable trends of the times."

To respond to the call of the times, the SCO must keep in mind its founding mission, and stay in unity and coordination to bring more certainty and positive energy to world peace and development.

Xi said that the SCO should keep to the right direction and enhance solidarity and mutual trust, maintain regional peace and safeguard common security, focus on practical cooperation and expedite economic recovery, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and forge closer bonds between the peoples, and practice multilateralism and improve global governance.

These important suggestions and new cooperation initiatives proposed by Xi demonstrated China's sense of responsibility as a major country in deepening SCO cooperation in various fields.

As a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the widest area and largest population in the world, the SCO is committed to upholding mutual respect and the principle of equality among all countries regardless of their size. It firmly safeguards and practices true multilateralism, and has blazed a new trail of international relations that features partnership over alliance and cooperation over confrontation, becoming a pillar force in advocating international fairness and justice.

This time, the SCO officially welcomed Iran as a full member and signed the memorandum of obligations on the membership of Belarus. This manifested the vitality of the SCO family, and demonstrated relevant parties' recognition to the SCO's important contributions to deepening good-neighborliness, protecting the common interests of SCO countries, promoting long-term peace and stability of the region and the world, and advancing sustainable development.

A just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions gets far. As long as all relevant parties keep moving in the right direction of promoting solidarity, mutual trust, development and cooperation, the SCO will definitely grow from strength to strength. A growing and expanding SCO will surely make global governance more just and equitable, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.