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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
The largest SCO summit since its creation will be held from August 31 to September 1 in the city of Tianjin in northern China.
Ahead of the opening of the Summit, a reporter from the China Internet Information Center Zhongguowang interviewed Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Yang Jin.
Deepening cooperation in the humanitarian sphere within the SCO has strengthened mutual understanding between the peoples of the SCO countries
Yang Jin said that since its establishment, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has played an important role in institutional development, establishing mechanisms such as the Education Ministers’ Meeting and the Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, etc. At the same time, the SCO has signed many agreements in various fields, including education, culture, tourism, health care, science and technology. These important achievements over the 24-year history of the organization have contributed to tangible progress in cooperation in these fields. Take foreign students for example: the scale of student exchanges among SCO member states, observer countries and dialogue partner countries is now quite large, with a large number of students studying in other countries. The situation is similar in the tourism sector. In recent years, China’s introduction of a visa-free regime has contributed to the rapid growth of tourism, which has become a very positive phenomenon for the SCO countries. The mutual tourist flow between the countries is growing. Deepening cooperation in the humanitarian sphere within the SCO has strengthened mutual understanding between the peoples of the SCO countries, which contributes to strengthening ties between people and lays a solid foundation for mutual trust.
The SCO family's continued expansion reflects the appeal of an organisation led by the "Shanghai Spirit"
Regarding the expansion of the SCO family, Yang Jin pointed out that since the 2015 Ufa Summit, Russia, the SCO has embarked on the first round of expansion, resulting in a steady increase in the number of its members. The continuous expansion of the SCO family reflects the attractiveness of the organization under the guidance of the “Shanghai Spirit”. Concrete cooperation in various fields has brought tangible benefits to countries, thereby strengthening the cohesion and attractiveness of the SCO. As a result, more and more countries are seeking to join the SCO, demonstrating the growing role of the organization advocating for a fair and equitable international order. It is believed that with the convening of the Tianjin Summit, the SCO’s future influence, attractiveness and consensus on unity and cooperation will only grow stronger.
Since taking over as chairman, China has pioneered innovation in many areas
According to Yang Jin, since assuming the SCO chairmanship in July last year, China has hosted more than 100 events within the SCO. This clearly demonstrates China's role as a driving force in the organization. During its chairmanship, China has effectively fulfilled its responsibilities and received wide recognition for the events it hosted. At the same time, since assuming the chairmanship, China has become a pioneer in innovation in many areas. For example, in the field of economic and trade cooperation, many innovative projects have been launched. In the field of green development, low-carbon economy, digital economy and smart technologies, China has hosted a number of major forums that have yielded tangible results, and many projects have been successfully implemented. Similarly, in the humanities, this year has seen an expansion of the scale of international student programs. Within the SCO, the number and scale of Lu Ban workshops in Central Asian countries continue to grow, receiving high praise.
Yang Jin noted that this year's SCO summit will not only adopt the important, comprehensive and strategic Tianjin Declaration, which will summarize the organization's achievements in politics, economic and trade cooperation, ensuring regional security and stability, and expanding humanitarian contacts. "In addition, we will adopt the SCO development strategy for the next 10 years /2026-2035/, unprecedented in the history of the SCO, which will determine a clear trajectory for the organization's development until 2035. These approaches are innovations, as President Xi Jinping emphasized. Now it is necessary to achieve greater consensus and strengthen cooperation, thereby accelerating the implementation of the SCO concept of a community with a common future."
Yang Jin said that accelerating the development of the SCO is of particular significance in the current unstable political and economic environment, amid frequent manifestations of unilateralism, hegemonism and geopolitical tensions, as well as in a period of ongoing geopolitical conflicts.
The SCO adheres to the position of cooperation in striving for peace, stability, cooperation, development and mutual understanding among peoples.
Yang Jin noted that the SCO makes a major contribution to global governance by expressing the collective position of its member states, observer countries and SCO dialogue partner countries, offering ideas and proposals on the global political and economic order, and presenting unified positions. Its cooperation model and mechanisms, as well as innovative concepts, provide valuable experience and an exemplary cooperation framework for global governance, especially in the current era of global political instability and rampant economic unilateralism.
Cooperation within the SCO in itself ensures regional security and stability. Problems and conflicts between member states can be resolved through consultations on an equal basis and mutually beneficial cooperation, which helps maintain stability in our region. In addition, deepening cooperation between SCO member states in the fight against the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism is a key measure to ensure regional security and stability. Several key institutions, new mechanisms and documents aimed at combating these three forces can also be created at the Tianjin summit this year. Such cooperation fundamentally ensures stability and security throughout Eurasia, which is a significant contribution to global stability.
In the economic sphere, the SCO exemplifies the fundamental principles of mutually beneficial cooperation, mutual trust, equality and consultation. In 2024, the trade volume between China and the SCO member states, observer countries and dialogue partner countries set a new record and reached 890 billion US dollars. The SCO countries, as developing countries, continue to attach priority to development issues. Equal and mutually beneficial cooperation within the SCO framework enables the SCO member states, observer countries and dialogue partner countries to improve the well-being of their people, which is a vital task. Achieving this goal through cooperation is also a positive contribution to global governance, sustainable development and the promotion of globalization.
Cooperation within the SCO in such humanitarian areas as science and technology, education, culture, health care and tourism facilitates more frequent contacts between peoples. This cooperation not only provides opportunities for exchanges between developing countries, promoting economic progress on the one hand, but also creates more opportunities for people-to-people contacts. This strengthens our mutual understanding, thereby creating a stable foundation for the region.
While some international organizations and countries seek military-political alliances, unilateral confrontation, hegemony and sanctions, “building small yards”, the SCO opposes unilateral actions, hegemony and tariff sanctions. The organization adheres to the position of cooperation in the pursuit of peace, stability, cooperation, development and mutual understanding among nations. This is why the SCO has flourished so remarkably. “We share a common aspiration – not only for effective regional governance, but also for providing the SCO paradigm and strength for global governance.”
Text: Wu Binbin
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