Xi Jinping warns SCO members of real threat of Cold War mentality

ASTANA, July 4 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to ensure security in the face of the real threat of the Cold War mentality.

Xi made the remarks while attending the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State.

He urged member states to adhere to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, address complex and interdependent security challenges through dialogue and coordination, and respond to the profoundly changing international landscape with a win-win approach, so as to build a world of lasting peace and universal security.

Xi spoke highly of Kazakhstan's positive efforts and significant contributions to improving the SCO operational mechanism and deepening cooperation in various fields during its rotating chairmanship, and welcomed Belarus to attend the SCO summit as a member state for the first time.

He stressed that the SCO was founded at the turn of the century, at a time when the confrontations and divisions inherited from the Cold War had not yet been resolved.

The founding members of the SCO made a historic decision to pursue peaceful development, commit to good-neighborliness and friendship, and build a new type of international relations, Xi said, adding that the “Shanghai Spirit” has become a shared value and guiding principle for member states.

Noting that the SCO has gained its 10th member state since its establishment 23 years ago, Xi said the foundation of SCO cooperation has become more solid as the SCO “big family” has grown in membership spanning three continents across the world.

As the world faces accelerated changes unseen in a century, human society is once again at a historical crossroads, Xi said.

Xi stressed that the SCO stands on the right side of history, fairness and justice, and is of great significance to the world.

He called on SCO members to preserve the right to development in the face of real risks associated with “small yards and high fences.”

Xi stressed that SCO members should adhere to mutual benefit and inclusiveness, join hands to promote scientific and technological innovation, maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, boost the internal momentum of regional economies, and work toward common development goals.

SCO members should consolidate their unity and jointly oppose external interference in the face of real challenges of interference and division, he said.

SCO members should firmly support each other, accommodate each other's concerns, handle internal differences in a spirit of harmony and resolve cooperation difficulties by seeking common ground while putting aside differences, and firmly take charge of the destiny of our countries and regional peace and development, Xi said.

The SCO has withstood the test of the changing international landscape, the root cause of which lies in the fact that SCO members stick to the fine tradition of solidarity and coordination, the path of cooperation featuring equality and mutual benefit, the pursuit of values ​​of fairness and justice, and the open-mindedness of inclusiveness and mutual learning, Xi stressed.

Xi called on member states to stay true to the original aspiration, continue to uphold the “Shanghai Spirit”, help each other on their respective paths to success, jointly maintain the direction of SCO development, and build the organization into a reliable backbone for the common prosperity and revitalization of its member states.

The leaders of the SCO members attending the meeting spoke positively about the constructive role of the organization in safeguarding regional peace and security and expressed their readiness to further strengthen cooperation in such areas as trade, transport, energy, finance, agriculture, digital economy and technological innovation, as well as to deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, tourism and youth, among others.

Noting that the current global political and economic landscape as well as international relations are undergoing major changes, the leaders said the United Nations should play a central coordinating role in promoting the building of a more representative, democratic and equitable multipolar global system, and in promoting mutually beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

They called for respecting the legitimate security concerns of all countries, committing to resolving disputes and conflicts between countries through peaceful means, and opposing unilateral sanctions and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

The leaders agreed to improve the SCO mechanism to address security threats and challenges, resolutely combat the “three forces”, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, support the international community's efforts for peace and development in Afghanistan, and support a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution.

They signed and published a series of documents, including an Astana Declaration and an initiative calling for solidarity among countries to promote justice, harmony and development in the world.

The meeting officially approved Belarus' membership in the SCO and decided that China would take over the rotating presidency of the organization for 2024-2025.