President Karimov,
Dear Colleagues, 

It is a great pleasure to come to this beautiful city of Tashkent for the summit marking the 15th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Let me first thank our host, Uzbekistan and President Karimov, for all the wonderful preparations and thoughtful arrangements they made to ensure the success of the summit. Since taking over the SCO Presidency last year, Uzbekistan has fulfilled its duties admirably and advanced SCO cooperation across the board. China applauds all its productive efforts. 

 Since its inception 15 years ago, thanks to the concerted efforts of all its member states, the SCO has come a long way, as evidenced by the following achievements:

First, building on a rigorous study of practices in international relations while adapting to the changing trend of the times, the SCO has championed and followed the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development. As we say in China, action derives from knowledge and knowledge culminates in action. The Shanghai Spirit has proven a source of great cohesion and readiness for cooperation. It is an important intellectual foundation and guiding principle for the success of the SCO. What’s more, with its relevance and value transcending time and geographical boundary, the Shanghai Spirit provides helpful experience to all countries aspiring for good-neighborliness, friendship and common prosperity. It also lends strong impetus to the pursuit of a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. 

Second, the SCO has worked to build political mutual trust and firmly supported each other’s independent choices of development path. Under evolving international and regional circumstances, member states have supported each other in upholding their core interests, and have come together to cope with various challenges in the region and beyond. This has helped ensure security and stability in this region and foster a community of shared future in which all would rise and fall together. 

Third, committed to win-win cooperation and common development, the SCO has worked actively to explore complementarities, expand partnership and deepen cooperation in trade, business, finance, energy and transportation, among other areas. China’s trade with fellow member states in 2015 was seven times that in the early days of the organization. With growing converging interests, SCO members are bound closer together in a community of shared interests.
  
Fourth, the SCO has signed the Treaty of Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Between the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, thus codifying into law the aspiration for enduring friendship. We need to expand people-to-people and cultural ties to solidify the amity and friendship between our peoples, and promote inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual respect and harmonious coexistence between different civilizations to help all cultures flourish. 

Fifth, sticking to the principle of openness, the SCO has actively reached out to others with an ever-growing circle of friends. Last year’s Ufa Summit started the process to take in new members for the first time in SCO history, and accepted a new observer and dialogue partners. Full members and observers combined, the SCO accounts for a quarter of the total land area and nearly half of the total population of the world. Its international leverage has kept increasing.

The world today is beset by sluggish economic recovery, ever-emerging hotspots regionally and internationally and intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges. The growing numbers of multi-faceted challenges facing this region require collective response and put more responsibilities on the SCO in attaining peace and development. With the SCO standing at the threshold of a new historical phase, we must stay committed to its mission and principles and keep to the right direction. Meanwhile, we must stay ahead of the times and shape our approach to cooperation accordingly to ensure the relevance of this organization. To this end, I would suggest the following:

First, we need to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit as the cornerstone of the SCO. We need to hold high the banner of the Shanghai Spirit and advance SCO cooperation in all respects. Efforts should be made based on equality and mutual trust, in the principle of mutual benefit, and by means of dialogue and consultation to seek common development. The SCO will remain open and transparent without targeting any third party, engage all like-minded international partners in wide-ranging cooperation and act as a constructive force for the healthy development of the international order. 

Unity among member states underpins a growing SCO and gives it unique strength. It is also a valuable asset gained with years’ of trust-building efforts from all parties. It is therefore something to be cherished and taken care of. It is desirable for all parties to increase understanding through communication and properly address difficulties that crop up in cooperation in order to enhance the cohesion of the organization.  

 Second, we need to prioritize security and cement this foundation of SCO development. There is no greater benefit than stability and no worse harm than chaos. To maintain regional security and stability is the priority of SCO cooperation. Given the growing threat posed by international terrorism and the rapid spread of extremist religious ideologies via the Internet, China suggests that we speed up the process of negotiating an “SCO Anti-Extremism Convention” to consolidate the legal basis for SCO cooperation. And given the difficulty in containing drug production and trafficking as well as the increasing connection between terrorism and drugs, China suggests that the Regional Anti-terrorism Structure be given the mandate of drug control. Other parties have also put forward specific suggestions for strengthening institutional building of drug control cooperation. We hope that the competent authorities of all countries will expedite consultation and finalize a common position at an early date. 

Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, and the SCO pays close attention to Afghanistan. China has followed the principles of openness and transparency in its cooperation with other parties on international assistance to Afghanistan. China stands ready to work with other member states within the SCO framework to contribute to Afghanistan’s national reconciliation and economic reconstruction. 

Third, we need to expand practical cooperation and find greater space for SCO development. To facilitate overall economic development in the region, China is working vigorously to align the Belt and Road initiative with the development strategies of other countries. We may expect the SCO to play a positive role in this regard and create more cooperation opportunities. China is ready for more production capacity cooperation with other member states and wants to see more countries getting involved.

Since last year, parties have come up with quite a few initiatives on trade and investment facilitation. China is ready to study them with all other parties under the relevant SCO mechanisms and look for a cooperation plan that accommodates the interests and concerns of all. To enhance the SCO’s capacity building on trade facilitation, China will train, between 2017 and 2019, 1,000 trade facilitation professionals for other SCO member states, provide customs equipment and technical support needed by other members and build a quality inspection laboratory for each of the member states. 

China suggests that the SCO include more financial institutions of member states in its financial cooperation and provide convenience to their business operations. We should encourage companies to settle cross-border trade, investment and financing in local currencies and work on better cross-border payment solutions. 

China suggests that we step up transportation infrastructure development, and work for new progress in the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway and other major connectivity projects. We need to make sure that the cross-border routes envisioned in the SCO Intergovernmental Agreement on Road Transportation Facilitation be open to traffic by 2020. We also need to scale up agricultural trade and jointly ensure food security. 

Fourth, we need to strengthen the people-to-people bond and build a bridge for SCO development. Robust people-to-people and cultural cooperation serves as an important bridge leading to greater mutual understanding and friendship between the people of different countries. Historical sites in the member states are the shared cultural legacy of mankind. China will support cooperation on the restoration and archaeological research of such sites. China plans to host an SCO forum on intangible cultural heritage next year. 

By 2015, China had provided nearly 25,000 government scholarships to other member states. China will continue to implement the youth exchange programs it has undertaken and host an SCO youth choir summer camp in Beijing this July, both in an effort to groom successors for the cause of peace and friendship in our region.

China plans to leverage Xinjiang’s medical and geographical advantages and build an international medical service center there to serve neighboring countries and deepen cooperation and exchanges in the health sector. We can also work together to enhance information sharing, technology exchange and capacity building in environment protection under the SCO framework. 

China proposes the launch of an “SCO Program for Scientific and Technological Partnership”, and a detailed plan has already been submitted. China seeks your active support for this program so that science and technology will feature prominently in SCO cooperation. 

Fifth, we need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and get more parties on board for SCO cooperation. The launch of the new membership process at last year’s Ufa Summit injected fresh impetus to the development of our organization. Over the past year, member states have actively followed up on the process of accepting India and Pakistan as new members and decided to sign at this summit a memorandum on their obligations upon accession. China will take this as an opportunity to work with all other parties to enhance institutional building of the SCO and expand and deepen cooperation in various fields. 

Iran and Afghanistan, currently observer states of the SCO, have applied for membership and many other countries also want to become SCO observer states or dialogue partners. This is a reflection of the SCO’s increasing appeal and influence. China is ready to study actively the applications with other member states in accordance with SCO legal provisions. China welcomes the signing of a memorandum on granting Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal dialogue partner status, and suggests that the SCO deepen cooperation with its observer states and dialogue partners so that we can all share in the opportunities and benefits of a growing SCO.

We look forward to the next SCO Summit in Astana in 2017 and stand ready to work with all parties for its success.

Dear Colleagues,

The SCO is an embodiment of the wisdom and commitment of its member states and a great contribution to world peace and development. China will work with all of you to make sure that our organization will take deep root in a fertile ground of unity and mutual trust and grow from strength to strength.

Thank you.

Statement by H.E. Xi Jinping 
President of the People’s Republic of China 
At the 16th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of 
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States

Tashkent, 24 June 2016