Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

The 23rd Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Leaders of participating member states signed and issued a joint communique. The joint communique stated the importance of implementing the decisions taken following the outcomes of the meeting of the SCO Astana Summit in July, and reaffirmed that the member states intend to further develop cooperation. This reflects the SCO's momentum, as the consensus from the Astana Summit will steadily transition into reality with a strong degree of certainty. Amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East and rising external risks, the SCO once again offers a message of unity to the world.

The Astana Summit marked a new milestone in the SCO's development. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the important initiative of building a common home featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, as well as fairness and justice. Xi also reached important consensus with leaders of the SCO member states on advocating solidarity and cooperation, upholding international fairness and justice, and improving SCO operation mechanisms, and set the course for SCO's development under the new circumstances.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chair of the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government, referred to the body as a "beacon of multilateralism" in his opening remarks, expressing hopes for the meeting to yield great results, which reflects the regional countries' tangible appreciation of the leaders' consensus.

This is a rare and commendable achievement. While there are many regional organizations around the world, few, like the SCO, have consistently worked hard to maintain regional security and stability and promote the development and prosperity of member states. Not only has the SCO been able to overcome various differences to achieve significant consensus, but it has also successfully implemented these agreements, resulting in visible benefits for the people. Although different regional organizations face unique circumstances, many of the SCO's important experiences hold universal relevance. The SCO was not established to oppose or target anyone, nor does it operate on the basis of small circle's interests; its original intention and core principle are to engage in dialogue based on the idea of "one earth and one family with one future."

Since its establishment 23 years ago, the SCO has grown from six founding member states to 10 formal members, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners, making it the largest and most populous regional international organization. If there is any "magical power" among these changes, it is the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development. Increasingly, many countries are showing strong interest in joining the SCO family, due to their recognition of the value of the Shanghai Spirit.

The dynamic economic and trade cooperation among SCO countries is also becoming a stronger force for regional revitalization and even global development. In the first five months of this year alone, the bilateral trade volume between China and other SCO member states reached $199.93 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent, with multiple large-scale projects signed among member states. The "SCO+" initiative has attracted new friends and partners to address issues such as climate change, global food and energy crises, and the technology and development gap through multilateral cooperation initiatives. Building a "common home" has always been more than just a slogan for the SCO. Notably, despite heightened security tensions in the region prior to the meeting, representatives from all 10 formal member states, demonstrating a strong consensus on cooperating and fighting against terrorism. The SCO's combat effectiveness and cohesion have once again been tested, and it will continue to play a leading role in future regional security cooperation.

Currently, some Western countries, when discussing the SCO, adopt a condescending attitude, using outdated paradigms from regional organizations like NATO, which many consider to have failed, to point finger to the development of the SCO. They argue that the challenges faced by NATO and similar organizations will also hinder the SCO. This perspective merely reflects the arrogance and narrow-mindedness of the Western elites, as well as their lack of political imagination.

SCO member states are all developing countries facing critical tasks of national development and economic revitalization. The people in these countries are eager to have a better life through development. From another angle, the practices of the SCO serve as a model for countries in the Global South on how to support each other and advance together through regional cooperation on the path to modernization.

China has officially taken over the rotating presidency of the SCO for 2024 to 2025, with the keyword "action" guiding its presidency. This signifies that the SCO's pragmatic cooperation will be further deepened, and China's role as a major power will add momentum to the organization, enhancing regional economic cooperation and promoting development among member states through tangible actions. This, in turn, will fundamentally increase the motivation for the SCO family to move forward together, showcasing more precious value in exploring the construction of a "common home" in the future.