Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sep 17, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should have confidence in our system and refuse sanctimonious preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture us, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO on Friday. 

Xi made the remarks in Beijing while addressing the meeting via video link.

We should maintain firm confidence in our systems, reject condescending lecturing, and firmly support countries in exploring development paths and governance models that are compatible with their national conditions, Xi said. 

We should support each other in steadily advancing important political agenda including domestic elections. We must never allow any external interference in the domestic affairs of countries in our region under whatever pretext and we should keep the future of our countries' development and progress firmly in our own hands, the Chinese president noted.  

As a Chinese saying goes, "Power may win for the time being, but justice will prevail for the long run." Acting from a so-called "position of strength" is not the way to handle international affairs, and hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts should be firmly rejected, Xi said. 

In addressing international relations, we should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the Chinese president noted. 

A flag with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's logo. Photo: AFP

After 20 years of development, the SCO has contributed to world peace, stability and human progress and it is now standing at a new starting point in the history, President Xi addressed via video link at the SCO summit on Friday. 

He noted that members of the organization should strengthen policy dialogues, communication and coordination, respect each other's reasonable concerns and properly handle problems in cooperation to push the organization to develop in a steady manner.   

The 21st meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is held in the Tajik capital Dushanbe as the SCO celebrated its 20th anniversary. 

Xi also noted topics on the situation in Afghanistan as the summits in Dushanbe gather most of Afghanistan's neighbors' leaders for the first time after the Taliban announced an interim government.

Xi said that Afghanistan's history has ushered in a new page after the withdrawal of foreign troops. But it still faces many difficult tasks and needs the support and help from the international community, especially regional countries. 

SCO members should better use the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and other platforms to promote the peaceful transition in Afghanistan, guide it to build an inclusive political structure, adopt prudent and moderate domestic and foreign policies, resolutely fight all forms of terrorism, live in amity with its neighbors and truly embark on a path of peace, stability and development, Xi noted.   

President Xi said that SCO members should pursue common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and take tough actions against terrorism, separatism and extremism, including the "East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)." 

We need to strengthen cooperation on counter-narcotics, border control and security for major events, and speedily improve the SCO's security cooperation mechanism, Xi said. 

Xi also noted that the SCO will launch procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners. The growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order, he said. 

On fighting COVID-19, Xi said China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations, thus becoming the biggest vaccine provider in the world. China will step up efforts to provide a total of two billion doses to other countries in the course of this year. 

We will deepen anti-COVID cooperation with other developing countries, make good use of China's US$100 million donation to COVAX, and make our due contribution to humanity's ultimate victory over the virus, Xi said. 

In the next three years, China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries, open 10 Luban Workshops, and launch 30 cooperation projects in such areas as health, poverty relief, culture and education under the framework of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative, Xi noted.