SCO shows Shanghai Spirit

A number of new areas of cooperation, including customs, agriculture, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, public health, environmental protection, culture and tourism, were given special attention and will be made new growth points for future SCO cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang participated in the meeting for the first time and his pragmatic diplomatic style brought a new trend to the meeting.

Li made a six-point proposal on deepening practical cooperation among the SCO countries, involving security cooperation, road interconnectivity, trade and investment facilitation, financial cooperation, ecological protection and energy cooperation and, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

These points were specific in their practicality. For example, with regard to security cooperation, Li suggested that cracking down on terrorist activities and drug trafficking be scheduled as the major areas for cooperation among SCO countries and the SCO's anti-terror organizations be given anti-drug functions.

In terms of transport cooperation, Li proposed speeding up road interconnectivity, and said that China is willing to provide support in technology, equipment and financing for the building of a "Silk Road Economic Belt". To promote trade and investment, Li also proposed simplifying procedures for customs clearance, eliminating trade barriers and enhancing cooperation in producing and processing farming and livestock products.

The agenda and the results of the meeting show that the SCO member states have been maintaining the healthy and stable development momentum in political cooperation, security cooperation with close communication, mutually beneficial economic cooperation and cultural exchanges featuring mutual respect.

Cooperation in the political, security, economic and cultural fields are of great importance to the SCO member states and are also the basic content of their cooperative initiatives within the SCO. The current goals of the SCO are to upgrade strategic mutual trust and cooperation, firmly support each other's core concerns and safeguard member states' sovereign independence and territorial integrity through political cooperation. They will also consolidate mutual security guarantees and maintain regional stability through security cooperation among the member states. To increase the mutual benefits for member states and promote state and regional economic prosperity, they will effectively increase their economic cooperation. The member states also seek to enhance mutual understanding among their peoples and strengthen the base for friendly cooperation through cultural cooperation.

It should be noted that China's endeavor to promote cooperation within the SCO framework is in line with its strategic interests to build a harmonious surrounding environment. Moreover, comprehensive cooperation within the SCO accords with other member states' basic demands for regional peace, security, development and prosperity.

The author is an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily 12/03/2013 page8)