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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — The largest summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) since its establishment will be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin, the largest port city in northern China.
The summit will be attended by more than 20 foreign leaders and 10 senior officials from international organizations. Chinese President Xi Jinping will preside over the 25th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council and the SCO Plus meeting, where he will deliver keynote speeches.
Since taking office as the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping has attended all SCO summits. Based on the strategic vision of the leader of a major power, he personally plans and manages the relevant work, indicating the direction and outlining a plan for the development of the organization.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE “SHANGHAI SPIRIT”
In his speeches at the last 12 SCO summits, Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of the “Shanghai Spirit” each time.
“It is important to consistently follow the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ as a key value and the general concept of the organization, and constantly enrich it with new content of the era, taking into account the global process and the development of the organization itself,” he noted.
"The SCO was born out of the Shanghai Five mechanism. Under very difficult historical circumstances, countries were able to resolve sensitive border issues with mutual respect and understanding through equal consultations," said Li Yongquan, head of the research council of the Institute of European and Asian Social Development, Development Research Center of the State Council of China.
On June 15, 2001, in the Chinese city of Shanghai, the heads of state of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted a Declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The document included the “Shanghai Spirit”, which is characterized by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and the desire for joint development.
"The Shanghai Spirit is highly consistent with the objectives of the United Nations Charter. It shares common roots with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, fully meeting the demands of the organization's member states for stability, development and unity. It has surpassed such outdated concepts as the Cold War mentality and clash of civilizations, and has been widely recognized by the international community," said Ambassador Fan Xianrong, in charge of the work of the Chinese National Coordinator of the SCO.
In the face of colossal changes unseen in a century, Xi Jinping, with his broad global outlook, is advancing the SCO's conceptual innovations in step with the times.
At the Qingdao Summit in 2018, Xi Jinping put forward the concepts of development, security, cooperation, civilization and global governance, summarizing the basic concepts of building a new type of international relations and entrusting the SCO with a new historical mission.
At the 20th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council in 2020, Xi Jinping stressed that the SCO should carry forward the “Shanghai Spirit” for the sake of common health, common security, common development and the benefit of cultural and humanitarian exchanges, so as to find a way to build a community with a shared future for mankind through practical steps.
At the SCO summit in Astana in 2024, Xi Jinping called for unswerving adherence to the “Shanghai Spirit”, creating an atmosphere of unity and trust in our common home, making our common home peaceful and secure, prosperous and developed, and building a common home for the sake of good-neighborliness, friendship and justice.
According to Serik Korzhumbayev, editor-in-chief of the Delovoy Kazakhstan newspaper, Xi Jinping's five proposals for jointly building a more beautiful common home for the SCO have demonstrated China's unwavering desire to cooperate with other countries to create a better future and will vigorously strengthen solidarity and cooperation within the SCO.
Mountains and oceans do not separate like-minded people. The 2024 Astana summit saw the first “SCO Plus” meeting. During this summit, Belarus officially joined the SCO, becoming its 10th member state.
From the original 6 founding members to the “greater SCO family” that spans three continents – Asia, Europe and Africa and consists of 26 countries, including 10 member states, 2 observer states and 14 dialogue partners, the SCO has become the world’s largest comprehensive regional cooperation organization in terms of geographic coverage and population. Its influence, appeal and attractiveness in the international arena continue to grow.
THE PATH TO COMMON WIN AND PROSPERITY
At the SCO summit in Bishkek in 2019, Xi Jinping noted that China is ready to strengthen regional cooperation in modern agriculture by establishing an SCO demonstration base for exchanges and training in agricultural technologies in Shaanxi Province.
The base, located in Yangling, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has trained more than 2,600 agricultural officials and technical experts from SCO countries at different times in the six years since its establishment.
Maksat Batyrbek from Kazakhstan spent many years studying in China, studying the effects of fertilizers on soil microorganisms, as well as the leaves and rhizomes of corn.
“The transformation and use of solonetzic and saline soils, urbanization, and the fight against poverty are issues that all our countries face,” M. Batyrbek believes, adding that cooperation within the SCO helps to resolve all these issues.
According to Sun Zhuangzhi, Director of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, all SCO countries face pressing challenges in promoting economic growth and modernization. Cooperation within the SCO in eight priority areas of Xi Jinping's Global Development Initiative, namely poverty reduction, food security, public health, development finance, climate change response and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity, has broad prospects.
Tianjin is the main hub of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and one of the intersections of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road". In 2024, the total import and export volume between the city and the SCO countries increased by 21.9 percent year-on-year.
According to statistics, in 2024, the trade volume between China and the SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners reached a record high of US$890 billion.
As of the end of 2024, the volume of China's various investments in these countries exceeded US$140 billion.
According to former SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov, Xi Jinping's initiative to jointly build the "Silk Road Economic Belt" is of historic significance. It has received broad support from the international community and plays an important role in advancing the globalization process in Eurasia.
In April 2025, the main line of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, a landmark project of the three countries' cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, began in earnest. Once the entire line is completed, the railway will become a strategic corridor that will benefit the three countries and their peoples, and promote socio-economic development in the region.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov noted that the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is not just a transport corridor, it is an important strategic bridge that will connect the countries of the East and West. He expressed confidence that the project will be completed on time and with high quality and will become a symbol of friendship, cooperation and prosperity of the three countries.
In June 2025, the first stage of the first launch complex of the container hub project in the port of Aktau in Kazakhstan was officially put into operation, which is another landmark project in the joint high-quality construction of the “Belt and Road” by China and Kazakhstan. According to experts, it will give a new powerful impetus to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor.
“The launch of the first launch complex of the container hub in the port of Aktau is an important stage in the development of the transport system of Kazakhstan and the Trans-Caspian route connecting China with Europe via Central Asia and the Caspian Sea,” noted Damir Kozhakhmetov, General Director of KTZ Express JSC.
“As the saying goes, common efforts lead to victory, and common intelligence leads to success,” Xi Jinping noted.
According to Fan Xianrong, Xi Jinping, always putting the people first, outlines the direction of pragmatic cooperation within the SCO framework with a focus on economic development and improving people's well-being. He promotes the alignment of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" with the development of the Eurasian Economic Union, proposed the establishment of an SCO demonstration base for exchanges and training in agricultural technology, a demonstration zone for regional trade and economic cooperation and other cooperation platforms, which provides residents of the region with real and tangible benefits from cooperation.
RESPECT FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY
In 2022, when Xi Jinping visited Uzbekistan, he presented a special gift to Uzbek President Sh. Mirziyoyev: a miniature of Khiva. Khiva is the first cultural heritage conservation project in Central Asia supported by China.
Uzbek historian Kamilzhan Khudaiberganov said that in terms of restoring historical and cultural sites in the ancient city of Khiva, China is currently the country that has provided the greatest assistance to Uzbekistan.
Xi Jinping noted that the SCO region is home to many ancient civilizations, where different ethnic groups, cultures and religions coexist and complement each other. We should cherish the region's rich cultural diversity as a precious asset, reject the idea of a clash of civilizations, and support openness, inclusiveness, communication among civilizations and learning from each other, thereby injecting lasting impetus into the lasting friendship, common development and progress of all peoples.
Lu Ban, an outstanding master and inventor of ancient China, and the project “Lu Ban Workshop” named after him have already become a famous brand in the field of vocational education. At present, China has established 10 “Lu Ban Workshops” in the SCO countries.
“The advanced concepts in the field of intelligent logistics are demonstrated here, and this place is equipped with advanced international training equipment. I can personally see the entire process of intelligent logistics,” said Asadbek Latipov, a student from Uzbekistan.
Civilization is enriched and flourishes only through communication and exchange. Xi Jinping noted that China is willing to provide a high-quality platform for inter-civilization dialogue among SCO member states, give full play to the role of non-governmental organizations such as the SCO China Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, and continue to organize brand events such as the Forum on Traditional Medicine, the Forum of Friendship of Peoples, the Youth Camp and the Forum on Youth Development.
A year ago, Xi Jinping announced in Astana that China would invite 1,000 young people from SCO countries to China over the next five years as part of an exchange program.
Vice-Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zainidin Kurmanov noted that the Global Civilizations Initiative proposed by Xi Jinping, in line with the “Shanghai Spirit”, calls for respecting the diversity of world civilizations, promoting universal values, and strengthening international cultural exchanges and cooperation.
Former SCO Secretary General and former Tajik Ambassador to China Rashid Alimov believes that the SCO unites countries with different histories, cultures and languages. Its practice shows that intercivilizational dialogue is not only possible, but also very effective. It can strengthen trust, enhance cooperation and create conditions for peaceful development.
BRINGING MORE STABILITY AND POSITIVE ENERGY TO THE WORLD
Xi Jinping first attended the SCO summit in 2013, when terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime threatened security and stability in the region.
At this summit, he announced that the Chinese side would establish the “SCO/China/International Legal Training and Cooperation Center” at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
“One of the main tasks of this center is to promote practical cooperation between SCO member states in such areas as the fight against transnational crime, drug trafficking and extremism,” noted the rector of the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, director of the office of the Center for International Legal Training and Cooperation of the SCO /China/ Liu Xiaohong.
According to her, to date, more than 90 courses have been conducted in this center in online and offline formats, during which about 3,000 foreign specialists have been trained.
“The SCO cooperation not only contributes to maintaining security and stability in the region and uniting the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, but will also stimulate further expansion of economic cooperation across the region for the benefit of the people,” said retired Supreme Court Judge Mushir Alam, who was trained at the aforementioned center.
The security of each country is true security. At the SCO summits, Xi Jinping called for expanded cooperation in non-traditional security areas, including digital data security, biosecurity and space security, and noted that it is necessary to improve the mechanism and means of security cooperation, accelerate the construction of a comprehensive center for combating security threats and challenges and its subordinate agencies, establish a drug control center, strengthen intelligence sharing and conduct joint operations.
“The practical cooperation of the SCO in the field of security directly affects the sense of security of citizens and will allow the organization to strengthen its role as a reliable element of the system of regional stability and peace,” noted Marina Dmitrieva, Deputy Director of the Eastern Institute for Science at the Far Eastern Federal University.
The SCO actively advocates for the political settlement of pressing international and regional issues, including support for the efforts of the international community to achieve peace and development in Afghanistan, support for a comprehensive and fair settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the principle of “two states for two peoples”, firm support for the multilateral trading system and strong condemnation of the abuse of military force.
Focusing on issues such as protecting the gains of victory in World War II and maintaining the key status of the UN, SCO member states will also present a united front at the Tianjin summit.
“The SCO actively and loudly spreads its voice on major international and regional issues, protecting the interests of countries in the Global South, and thereby making efforts to advance global governance reform in a more just and rational direction,” Sun Zhuangzhi said.
"The SCO stands on the right side of history, adheres to justice and is of great significance to the world," Xi Jinping said, stressing that in the current circumstances when the world is undergoing changes and upheavals, the SCO should remain focused and confident, act effectively and play a more active role to bring more stability and positive energy to the world.
Irina Akulovich, Director General of the Belarusian Telegraph Agency, emphasized that Xi Jinping plays an important role in promoting the “Shanghai Spirit,” as he promotes the construction of a more just and multipolar world by putting forward a number of initiatives within the SCO.
“Xi Jinping guided the SCO to actively participate in improving global governance, contributed the ‘voice of the SCO’ to the implementation of genuine multilateralism and the protection of equality and justice in international relations, proposed ‘SCO options’ to facilitate the settlement of pressing issues on the regional agenda, and presented ‘SCO actions’ to form a new type of international relations and a community with a common future for mankind, which was highly praised by the SCO member states and the international community,” Fan Xianrong noted.
"China stands ready to seize the opportunity of the Tianjin summit to work together with all parties to bring the SCO to a new stage of high-quality development characterized by greater solidarity, closer cooperation, more dynamic vitality and higher efficiency," he said. -0-
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