China denies SCO will evolve into military bloc

BEIJING - China on Wednesday denied the possibility that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would evolve into a military and political bloc.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks at a daily press conference in response to media reports likening the SCO to an eastern NATO.

Liu said that the charter of the SCO determined its nature of non-alliance, non-confrontation, not targeting at any third country or organization and openness to outside parties.

He said the robust development of the SCO lies in its quest for a new model of partnership for regional organization, which conforms to the current trend of peace and development as well as the people of the SCO member states' common desire for peace, development and cooperation.

The SCO has created the Shanghai Spirit that features mutual trust and benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and the pursuit of common development, he said.

Adhering to the ideal of pursuing peace, promoting development and resolving disputes through cooperation, the SCO has been sticking to the principle of a non-aligned national relationship, he said.

The SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, and currently has six full members - China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India are four observer states, and its dialogue partners include Belarus and Sri Lanka.