Xi Jinping Attends the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Pl...

On the afternoon of July 4, 2024 local time, President Xi Jinping attended the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" (SCO Plus) meeting in Astana and made an important statement entitled "Joining Hands to Build a More Beautiful Home of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization."

Xi Jinping pointed out, "We get together for our first 'SCO Plus' Meeting, with good friends and new partners in the same room holding important discussions. This shows that under the new circumstances of the new era, the vision of our Organization is widely popular, and that SCO member states have friends across the world."

"At present, changes of historical significance across the world during our times are unfolding in ways like never before. As human civilization marches forward in big strides, factors of insecurity, instability and uncertainty are evidently increasing. To cope with this major transformation, the key is to have the wisdom to see the changes, the ability to deal with the changes, and the courage to make changes. We need to bear in mind that we live in a community with a shared future, and always uphold the Shanghai Spirit. We need to stay firmly on the development paths that suit our respective national conditions and regional realities, and jointly build a more promising home of the SCO so that our peoples can live a peaceful, successful and happy life."

Xi Jinping put forward a five-point proposal.

"First, we should build a common home of solidarity and mutual trust. The Shanghai Spirit is consistent with the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It is the shared value of our Organization, and should be all the more cherished and faithfully observed at all times. We need to respect the development path of respective, independent choosing, and support each other in safeguarding core interests. We need to bridge our differences, build more consensus, and enhance mutual trust through strategic communication. China proposes that SCO member states do more to share their experience on governance and hold the SCO Political Parties Forum at an appropriate time."

"Second, we should build a common home of peace and tranquility. Real security is premised on the security of all countries. The SCO needs to have a complete set of measures under the security cooperation mechanisms, move faster to build a universal center and its branches to address the challenges and threats to the security of SCO member states and the Anti-Drug Center, strengthen intelligence sharing and conduct joint operations. China will do what it can to ensure the success of the Interaction-2024 joint counterterrorism exercise and other events. We need to make best use of the mechanism of coordination and cooperation among Afghanistan's neighbors and other platforms and encourage Afghanistan to embark on a path of peace and reconstruction."

"Third, we should build a common home of prosperity and development. China proposes that 2025 be designated as the SCO Year of Sustainable Development, and is ready to work with all parties to fully implement the eight major steps under high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We will promote regional cooperation through platforms such as the demonstration base for agricultural technology exchange and training, the local economic and trade cooperation demonstration area, and the ecology and environment innovation base. China welcomes all parties to use the Beidou Satellite Navigation System and participate in the development of the International Lunar Research Station. China proposes establishing an SCO digital education alliance, and is willing to provide training opportunities on digital technology to fellow countries in the SCO. We should also modernize the governance system of our Organization, and boost its effectiveness."

"Fourth, we should build a common home of good-neighborliness and friendship. China will give full play to the role of non-official organizations such as the SCO Committee on Good-Neighborliness, and continue to organize events under signature programs such as the Forum on Traditional Medicine, the Forum on People-to-People Friendship, the Youth Campus, and the Youth Development Forum. China welcomes all parties to take an active part in a green development forum and a women's forum in Qingdao. In the next five years, China will host 1,000 young people from countries in the SCO for exchange opportunities in China."

"Fifth, we should build a common home of fairness and justice. We should jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, practice true multilateralism, and make global governance more just and equitable. The SCO should make its important contribution to eliminating the deficits in peace, development, security and governance."

Xi Jinping stressed, "The SCO owes its success to solidarity and cooperation throughout the years, and this is also naturally the inevitable way for us to respond to the changing world and open new horizons on the new journey ahead." He noted that China will assume the SCO rotating presidency after the Astana Summit. China will work with SCO partners in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, and join hands with more countries and international organizations that identify with the "Shanghai Spirit" to strive for common progress and foster brighter prospects for a community with a shared future for mankind.

The meeting was chaired by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the SCO, and attended by the presidents of SCO member states, including President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, Acting President Mohammad Mokhber of Iran, representative from India, the leader of the observer state Mongolia, leaders of Azerbaijan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan, who are guests of the presidency, as well as Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres and leading officials of other international and regional organizations.

Ahead of the meeting, Xi Jinping attended a welcoming banquet hosted by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the heads of the participating delegations and took a group photo.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, attended the above events.