President Xi's speech to the SCO and the community with a shared future

China, together with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, established the SCO to find a peaceful formula for coexistence. It is based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence, concisely embodied in the Shanghai Spirit. The SCO strictly adheres to the principles of mutual respect, mutual non-aggression and peaceful resolution of problems.

These principles, together with the promotion of respect for sovereignty, non-interference and respect for national systems, reflect the SCO's unwavering commitment to peaceful coexistence. The Chinese philosophy of dialogue and development has been adopted as the main instrument to guide the process and resolve disputes and problems.

These factors have helped build a positive image of the SCO and facilitated its expansion over time. With the recent accession of Belarus, the SCO now has ten full members: Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, the SCO has three dialogue partners, many of whom attend summits as observers. With Belarus’s accession, the SCO represents 40 percent of the world’s population and its member countries contribute about $23 trillion to global GDP.

As a founding member, the world's second-largest economy and a formidable power, China aims to strengthen and build a multidimensional organization capable of playing a leading role in the world. Under the leadership of President Xi, China has launched numerous initiatives and opportunities for member states to build the SCO into a platform for peace, development and prosperity. The launch of the vision of a community with a shared future has accelerated and consolidated these efforts.

President Xi announced many initiatives to make the dreams of peace, development and prosperity a reality for SCO member states.

President Xi has repeatedly stressed that China, as a leading country in the SCO partnership, should play its part and make contributions, especially in the fields of economy and technology. President Xi Jinping, who likes to put his money where his mouth is, has already launched two specific initiatives to promote economic ties and technological cooperation.

He introduced the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone. It is a specialized initiative tailored to SCO countries, offering multiple opportunities in trade, investment, technology, tourism, etc. It provides SCO countries with an excellent opportunity to invest in the Chinese market and attract Chinese funding for their projects. With better planning, countries can easily become part of the Chinese supply chain.

President Xi Jinping recognizes that technology is a major force for connectivity and will play a vital role in the development of countries in the coming decades. He announced that China will strive to deepen technological cooperation with all SCO members and share the technological dividend with all member countries.

In 2021, China hosted the China-SCO Digital Economy Forum. This is a step in the right direction, especially considering the effects of COVID-19 and the importance of technology in addressing the challenges.

This cooperation should be a good opportunity for all members to benefit from China's technological development. As we know, China is a leading player in many technological fields like 5-G, quantum computing, space technology, artificial technology, etc.

China has already launched a process to offer scholarships such as 1,000 international scholarships for Chinese teachers and 3,000 “China Bridge” summer camps to member countries. It has started inviting young scientists to China to promote scientific research cooperation, and 100 young scientists will be invited. China has also held events on rural revitalization and climate change response and encouraged member countries to participate.

China has opened up new avenues for cooperation in the agricultural field, inviting member countries to take advantage of the demonstration base for agricultural technology exchange and training.

In his speech at the 24th Summit of Heads of State, President Xi outlined how China will take concrete steps to expand cooperation within the SCO framework to build a community with a shared future. President Xi's speech clearly indicates that China is busy establishing institutional mechanisms to help the SCO and its members build a community with a shared future. The speech also indicates that China is making a vision of a community with a shared future a guiding principle for future interactions with SCO members. True to his legacy of leading by example, President Xi announced many initiatives to strengthen the SCO.

President Xi Jinping reiterated that China will remain committed to implementing the eight-point cooperation program for high-quality development under the BRI framework. The eight-point program is a comprehensive vision of building modern infrastructure, adopting a high-quality development philosophy, pursuing green growth, strengthening connectivity, deepening technology cooperation, and people-to-people cooperation, etc.

Cooperation in agriculture, smart agriculture and technology will be further accelerated. China is open to cooperation in sharing the services of the Beidou navigation satellite system and encourages members to participate in the development of the International Lunar Research Station. China will also provide 1,000 training courses for member countries in digital technology.

China will continue to host the Traditional Medicine Forum, People-to-People Friendship Forum, Youth Campus and Youth Development Forum. In addition, China will provide 1,000 young people with the opportunity to visit China under the exchange program. Youth engagement is important to strengthen relations and pass on the torch to future generations.

President Xi proposed that countries join China's modernization, as it is a common goal of all members. China will work with other countries to find new forces for growth and development. This is in line with the high-quality development of the Belt and Road and new high-quality productive forces. Therefore, China has decided to designate 2025 as the year of sustainable development for the SCO.

He stressed the need to modernize the SCO governance system to improve its efficiency and operation. This is considered very important for a rapidly expanding organization with enhanced global influence. President Xi attaches great importance to governance, both domestically and internationally, to ensure people's well-being, peace and building a community with a shared future. He has made governance modernization a key pillar of China's reforms.

He believes that governance systems should be results-oriented, dynamic, inclusive, coherent and technologically advanced. It is essential to build a pluralistic, democratic and cooperative society. President Xi should keep these elements at the core of the SCO governance system reform.

China is making sincere efforts and is willing to work closely with SCO member states to build a community with a shared future. China supports these efforts by proposing concrete solutions and taking practical measures.