Samarkand: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday asked the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to prevent external forces from destabilizing them through “anti-government movements” in an indirect attack on the US. They called for maintaining strategic independence, building consensus on security cooperation, and enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation. Addressing the 22nd SCO summit in Samarkand city of Uzbekistan, Jinping called on the member countries of the grouping to lead the organization on the right track, intensify cooperation in various fields and continue to promote an environment conducive to development.
Jinping also announced plans by the group to set up a center in China to train counter-terrorism personnel and expressed the idea of establishing a development bank to accelerate regional economic integration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present in the summit. Jinping congratulated India on the upcoming presidency of the SCO. “I would like to congratulate India on behalf of China on becoming the next chair of the SCO,” he said at the summit. We, along with other member states, will support India during her presidency.
In an indirect attack on America, he said, “The outbreak of the worst epidemic of the century continues. Regional conflicts continue to flare up. With the Cold War mentality and factional politics re-emerging, so are unilateralism and protectionism. Economic globalization has faced adversity.
Under these new conditions, the SCO, as an important creative force in international and regional affairs, must position itself well to transform international dynamics, and strengthen solidarity and cooperation, he said. He also announced a new initiative for the SCO.
He said China is ready to set up a ‘China-SCO Base’ for training 2,000 law enforcement personnel and counter-terrorism personnel for SCO member states over the next five years. China will provide 1.5 billion RMB yuan ($105 million) of food grains and another emergency humanitarian aid to developing countries. “We need to expand the share of local currency settlement for SCO member states, develop better systems for cross-border payments and settlement in local currencies, and work to establish the SCO Development Bank and regional economic integration,” Xi said. needs to accelerate.”
He said that next year, China will host the SCO Ministers’ Meeting on Development Cooperation and Industrial and Supply Chain Forum, and establish a ‘China-SCO Big Data Cooperation Center’ for shared development. He said China is ready to cooperate with all other parties in space and provide satellite data services to support them in agricultural development, connectivity, disaster reduction, and rescue and relief.
China will build the ‘China-SCO Ice’ and ‘Snow Sports’ demonstration zones and next year will host the SCO Forum on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development and Partner Cities. He said that over the next three years, China will conduct 2,000 free cataract operations for SCO member countries and provide 5,000 human resource training opportunities to them.
“Member states need to advocate a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable approach to security and reject any attempt to create factional conflict and damage regional stability,” he said.
China has been critical of the ‘Quad’ (US, India, Japan, and Australia) and Aukas (US, UK, and Australia) alliances. China alleges that the purpose of these organizations is to stop its rise.
