Foreign and Military Affairs

China to actively promote development of SCO

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-08 19:23

BEIJING - China will promote the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the next decade through security and economic cooperation, a senior diplomat said Wednesday.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping made the remarks at the third Lanting Forum, whose theme is the 10th anniversary of the founding of the SCO.

Cheng said China will provide staunch security and economic support within its ability for other members of the SCO, adding that member states have carried out fruitful cooperation in security and economic fields since the organization was founded in Shanghai in 2001.

The regional organization groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"It is the common task of all member states to tackle new challenges, further promote economic development and improve the living standards for the people," Cheng said.

SCO member states complement each other economically, and China has made full use of its geographical advantage to cooperate with other member states in areas including transportation and energy, he said.

"China has provided favorable loans worth more than $12 billion to other SCO member states for economic development in the past 10 years," Cheng said.

On security cooperation, member states should cooperate in joint early warning and law-enforcement, as the international situation is undergoing complicated changes and central Asia is threatened by terrorism, he said.

The Lanting Forum, initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a platform for communication and exchanges between government, the business community, academia, media and the public.

It aims to create a new channel to facilitate discussions on foreign policy and issues of common interest by concerned parties.