At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, host President Xi Jinping chaired the Heads of State Council, and delivered the keynote address. The SCO summit, joined with other events this week, including the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory over Japanese Militarism (September 3) in Beijing, and the Eastern Economic Forum (September 3-6) in Vladivostok, are part of a process for realizing a new world development system taking into account the interests of all humanity.
President Xi cited that since its founding 24 years ago, the SCO had established a series of firsts: “We were the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in our border areas, turning our extensive borders into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation.” “We were the first to launch Belt and Road cooperation.” And, “We were the first to put forth the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit as an effort to practice true multilateralism.”
A quarter of a century later, “The SCO has grown into the world’s largest regional organization, with the participation of 26 countries, cooperation covering more than 50 areas, and a combined economic output of nearly US$30 trillion. Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day.” Moving forward, the SCO should strengthen its advantages: “We should make the pie of cooperation bigger, and fully utilize the endowment of every country, so that we can fulfill our responsibility for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.”
