SCO’s ‘big family’ expands, ushers in new chapter of cooperation

Leaders gathered in the Independence Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 4, 2024, for the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. /Xinhua

Chinese trucks using a road transport route to reach the Caspian Sea made their debut on Wednesday during the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Route inauguration ceremony in Kazakhstan.

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Prior to it, China-Europe freight trains that started in China and traveled across the Caspian Sea had previously run without a hitch for two years. Today, a thorough, multifaceted network that incorporates pipeline, air, train, and road transportation has been built.

The partnership between China and Kazakhstan, two founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), exemplifies the Shanghai Spirit, which includes equality, mutual trust, benefit sharing, consultation, tolerance for the variety of civilizations, and the pursuit of shared progress.

As Belarus became the tenth member state of the SCO on Thursday during the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Astana, the allure of Shanghai Spirit only grew.

Building a world of universal security

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged SCO members to respond to the changing international environment with a win-win strategy, address complex and intertwined security challenges through dialogue and coordination, and ensure security in the face of a real threat from the Cold War mentality in order to create a world of lasting peace and universal security.

The Astana Declaration was ratified by the SCO members, who also committed to further up their collaboration in the fight against terrorism and taking tough measures against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

An initiative calling for solidarity among nations to promote global justice, harmony, and development was released on Thursday. It also called on UN member states to conduct general and complete disarmament under effective international control, consolidate the global nuclear nonproliferation regime, and oppose an arms race in space.

In a statement, they claimed that the current condition of global security poses risks and difficulties that can only be addressed by establishing a multipolar world, enhancing global economic governance, and coordinating efforts to counter both traditional and unconventional security threats.

“When every country is secure, real security can only be realized,” Xi stated on Thursday at the “SCO Plus” meeting.

Mutual beneficial cooperation

At the SCO summit, Xi also stated that member nations should uphold inclusivity and mutual benefits, maintain stable and efficient industrial and supply networks, encourage the internal growth of regional economies, and collaborate on shared development objectives.

In order to encourage shared growth, China has been pushing economic cooperation among SCO members and has put up projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a strategy to increase commerce and connectivity between SCO countries. In June, an international agreement on the project was reached by the three nations.

Congratulating the signing over a video link, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that the railway will turn into the quickest land route between China and Central Asian nations. He said that it will also help China and regional cooperation by opening up large markets in South Asia and the Middle East.

The railway will start in Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, and go via Kyrgyzstan to enter Uzbekistan. It may eventually spread to South and West Asia.

In their proposal released on Thursday, the SCO members stated that in order to support the development of an open global economy, it is critical to maintain and deepen an open, transparent, equitable, inclusive, and non-discriminatory multilateral trade system.

The plan states that the SCO would offer a strategic chance for regional land and marine transport corridors to play a role, covering more than 60% of the Eurasian continent and over half of the world’s population.