Wang Yi the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China emphasized the importance of maintaining solidarity and strategic autonomy among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members during a meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Astana, Kazakhstan on May 21. Wang warned against external forces attempting to turn the region into a geopolitical arena and stressed the need for ongoing security cooperation within the SCO as reported by Global Times.
Wang who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee mentioned that amid global turbulence some countries are pursuing hegemony and forming small cliques, engaging in interference and suppression and decoupling and cutting off ties. He further mentioned that these countries are assisting three forces in the region, intending to suppress the strategic autonomy of the Global South and threatening the autonomy of emerging markets and developing countries. The three forces that Wang mentioned in his remarks referred to terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.
“The more chaotic the world becomes, the more we need to adhere to the Shanghai Spirit, grasp the correct direction, further strengthen and solidify the SCO, more effectively safeguard common interests, respond to various challenges and defend fairness and justice,” said Wang.
Wang stressed that security dynamics in the region should be characterized by common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable efforts.
“The SCO countries should, taking the Global Security Initiative as a guide, work with the international community to solve security challenges, eliminate the root causes of conflicts, play a leading role in global security governance and contribute to promoting world peace,” he said.
Murat Nurtleu, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the heads of delegations participating in the meeting in Astana. The meeting commenced with a moment of silence in remembrance of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who both died in a helicopter accident on 19 May.
During the meeting delegation leaders shared perspectives on international and regional issues, security concerns, and the advancement of cooperation within the SCO across political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian sectors. The Council of Foreign Ministers of the (SCO) member states signed twenty-two resolutions on May 21 in Astana. These resolutions pertain to multilateral cooperation across political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian sectors.
Comprehensive agenda set for Astana SCO summit
Comprehensive preparation and agenda for the Astana SCO summit, scheduled for July 3–4 2024 were among the primary topics covered at the meeting. The participants approved a list of topics and documents submitted for consideration by the Heads of SCO member states. These include the SCO initiative on World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony and the draft roadmap for developing interaction with the SCO dialogue partners. Moreover a special focus was placed on the organization’s expansion namely the conclusion of Belarus’s admission process to the SCO.
The upcoming SCO summit in Astana scheduled for July will address key issues including strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation, institutional reforms and expansion of SCO membership, economic and trade cooperation, Cui Heng scholar from China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times. Cui further noted that against the backdrop of rising anti-globalization trend and emerging challenges on especially political and non-traditional security, the current global governance framework cannot meet the needs of addressing security threats. This means the value of the SCO is further highlighted in coping with those challenges.
Belarus is set to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in July, according to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, as reported by BelTA in March 2024. Additionally, Saudi Arabia's cabinet approved the decision to join the SCO in 2023.
During a meeting with Sergei Aleinik, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus in Kazakhstan on 21 May, Wang highlighted the strong friendship and mutual trust between China and Belarus jointly steering China – Belarus relations into a fast lane as reported by Global Times on May 22.
In their meetings with Wang, foreign ministers from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan expressed their support for the one-China principle, and hope to promote bilateral relations by expanding cooperation.
Wang assured Jeenbek Kulubaev, the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, of China's support for Kyrgyzstan's national independence and development path.
Furthermore, in a conversation with Bakhtiyor Saidov, Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Wang emphasized China's commitment to strengthening cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics efforts, and combating transnational crimes, while ensuring the stability of Central Asia.
Officials from SCO members also discussed trade and economic cooperation. Wang mentioned in the meeting that trade volume, especially trade in agricultural products and new energy vehicles has grown rapidly between China and Kyrgyzstan and a number of major projects have been launched in succession.
“The SCO framework has a depth and breadth of inclusion across a wide range of fields, including diplomacy, national defense, security, economy, trade, culture, education, transportation, technology and agriculture. The development of the SCO in recent years has helped promote cooperation between China and Russia, as well as between China and Central Asian countries”,
said Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University noting that cooperation among these countries within the SCO's multilateral framework continues to expand and deepen as reported by Global Times.
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