During his remarks at SCO Summit on 4 July 2023, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, focusing on the shocks that the modern world is experiencing, noted that humanity is facing unprecedented serious challenges. “What to choose, unity or split? Peace or conflict? Cooperation or confrontation? These issues have become relevant again in our time. My answer is the aspirations of peoples for a better life is what we should strive for. Peace, development, cooperation, universal gain is an irreversible historical trend,” he said.
He called on the SCO “to fulfill its glorious historical mission with dignity, to be devoted to the original goals, to act as a stabilizing and constructive factor in the cause of peace and development on the globe with united efforts.” In this regard, Xi voiced a number of proposals.
First, to steadily keep the right course, strengthen solidarity and mutual trust. He called on his colleagues to strengthen strategic coordination and interaction, strive for cooperation instead of competition, respect each other’s fundamental interests and concerns, and firmly support each other in achieving prosperity and revival.
“It is necessary to independently develop a foreign policy based on the common and long-term interests of the region. We must remain vigilant to outside attempts from to foment a new cold war and provoke a block confrontation in our region, resolutely oppose any attempts to interfere from the outside and inspire color revolutions under any pretext, firmly hold the fate of our own development and prosperity only in our own hands,” Xi stressed.
Secondly, to maintain peace in the region in the name of common security. Xi called for increasing the level of SCO cooperation in the field of security, regularly conducting joint operations, ruthlessly fighting the three forces of evil, drug trafficking, cybercrime and transnational organized crime, improving cooperation mechanisms through law enforcement agencies and special services, expanding cooperation in non-traditional security areas, including digital data security, biosecurity and space security.
Third, to increase the pace of economic recovery based on practical cooperation. Xi proposed to intensify efforts to combine the BRI initiative with national development strategies and regional integration initiatives, deepen work on liberalization and simplification of trade and investment procedures, accelerate the arrangement of border crossings and the creation of an international logistics corridor aimed at ensuring stability of regional production and supply chains.
The Chinese leader also considers it expedient to increase the share of settlements in national currencies within the Organization, expand cooperation on sovereign digital currency, and work on the creation of the SCO Development Bank.
Fourth, to intensify people to people exchange. Xi stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, culture, health, sports and the media.
“Over the next 3 years, the Chinese side will provide within the SCO a quota for 1,000 people in the field of teaching Chinese and a quota for 3,000 people to participate in the Chinese Language Bridge summer camp. At the invitation of the Chinese side, 100 young scientists will have the opportunity to come to China for an exchange in the field of R&D,” Xi Jinping said.
Fifth, to implement multilateralism and improve global governance systems. The head of China spoke in favor of an UN-centered international system and world order based on international law, opposition to hegemonism and the policy of force, called for the modernization of humanity while ensuring equal access to the promotion of interests. ///nCa, 5 July 2023
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