Keep going! ,Politics Micro-Observation丨Adhere to the "Shanghai Spirit"

From July 2 to 6, President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Astana, and pay state visits to the two countries at the invitation of President Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan and President Rahmon of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The SCO is the first intergovernmental international organization named after a Chinese city and is also the world's most populous and extensive regional cooperation organization. The "Shanghai Spirit" with "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development" as its basic content is the core value and action guide of the SCO.

"The 'Shanghai Spirit' is the lifeblood of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's development and growth. It is also the fundamental principle that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization must adhere to over the long term." Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has attended the SCO summit every year and delivered important speeches, in which he would talk about the "Shanghai Spirit."

The world is in turmoil today, and the century-old changes are accelerating. Human society is facing unprecedented challenges. How should the SCO carry forward the "Shanghai Spirit" and answer the questions of the times? "Current Affairs Micro-Observation" explains it for you.

——"Jointly safeguard regional peace and tranquility"

“He who blows out another’s lamp will burn his own beard.”

Ten years ago, at the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, President Xi Jinping quoted a Kazakh proverb to explain that security should be universal.

Countries in the Eurasian continent have a long history of exchanges, similar development tasks, and closely linked destinies. Maintaining peace and development on the Eurasian continent is the common expectation of countries in the region and the world.

Six years ago, on the shores of the Yellow Sea, President Xi Jinping proposed building a community with a shared future for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at the SCO Qingdao Summit. "Establishing a common vision of a community with a shared future for mankind" was written into the Qingdao Declaration, becoming an important political consensus and goal of the SCO.

In April 2022, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative for the first time at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, emphasizing the need to uphold a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept. This provides a Chinese solution for the SCO and the world to respond to international security challenges.

△“Peace Mission-2021” SCO joint anti-terrorism military exercise.

Cooperate to combat the "three forces" including the "East Turkistan" and jointly curb the spread of drugs, hold joint anti-terrorism military exercises, establish meeting mechanisms at all levels, and give play to the role of platforms such as the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization-Afghanistan Contact Group" and the coordination and cooperation mechanism among Afghanistan's neighbors to promote the resolution of the Afghan issue... The SCO's ability to resolve security risks continues to improve.

Faced with the complex and profound evolution of the international situation and major global challenges, President Xi Jinping has continuously enriched and improved the contemporary connotation of the "Shanghai Spirit" with the "China Solution" and promoted the steady and long-term development of the SCO in the grand pattern of common development of mankind.

——"Make the 'cake' of mutually beneficial cooperation bigger"

Starting from security cooperation and under the guidance of the "Shanghai Spirit", the SCO has continuously deepened cooperation in various fields amid the changing international situation.

"The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is a strategic project for China's connectivity with Central Asia." On June 6, the signing ceremony of the trilateral intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Beijing. In his video congratulations on the signing of the agreement, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the early completion of this strategic channel will benefit the three countries and their peoples and help the regional economic and social development.

△On June 6, the signing ceremony of the trilateral intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping congratulated the signing of the agreement through a video message.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway starts from Kashgar, Xinjiang, and enters Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan. In the future, it can be extended to West Asia and South Asia, becoming a major transportation artery across the Asian continent. This railway is a landmark project of the three countries' cooperation in building the "Belt and Road".

Adhering to the "Shanghai Spirit", the SCO's development is deeply integrated with the "Belt and Road" initiative, and is building a broad platform for economic and trade cooperation among countries.

Kazakhstan, a member of the SCO, is the largest landlocked country in the world and a major transportation hub connecting Asia and Europe; Tajikistan has abundant water resources and produces high-quality agricultural products; the information technology industry is an important business card of observer country Belarus... The SCO region has favorable conditions such as rich resource endowment, huge market size, and strong scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and is full of development momentum.

△On June 27, the 22nd China International Urban Construction Expo opened in Beijing, and the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone appeared as the guest city.

Since the establishment of the SCO, the scale of trade among member states has continued to expand, and investment cooperation has been actively promoted. The "Trade Development Report of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 20 Years Ago" released in 2022 shows that the total trade value of SCO member states has increased nearly 100 times in 20 years, and its share of global trade has increased from 5.4% in 2001 to 17.5% in 2020. The global trade influence of SCO member states continues to increase.

At a time when some Western countries are engaged in "building walls and barriers" and "decoupling and severing links", the "Shanghai Spirit"'s advocacy of "seeking common development" demonstrates the value of the times.

As President Xi Jinping said, "The yearning of people of all countries for a better life is what we pursue. The trend of the times toward peace, development, cooperation and win-win results is unstoppable."

——Building an open and inclusive "SCO family"

At the SCO Heads of State Council meeting held last year, leaders of member states approved a series of resolutions, including granting Iran SCO membership status and signing a memorandum of obligations for Belarus to join the SCO.

Today, the SCO has 9 member states, 3 observer states, and 14 dialogue partners. Its member states account for nearly half of the world's population and about a quarter of the world's economic output. The development of the SCO is a vivid portrayal of the "Shanghai Spirit" and also demonstrates the vitality of the "Shanghai Spirit".

This also shows once again that the SCO is not a closed and exclusive "small circle" but an open and inclusive "big family".

President Xi Jinping once explained the significance of the SCO's expansion: "More and more countries are applying to join the SCO family, which fully demonstrates that the concept of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and its development prospects are widely optimistic."

△On June 27th local time, the 2024 "Future World" International Youth Art Exhibition opened at the National Museum of Tajikistan.

Adhering to the "Shanghai Spirit", the SCO brings together countries from different regions, with different civilizational traditions and development models, and prompts the SCO to assume greater responsibilities in global and regional affairs.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is at the forefront of the times, upholding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, promoting the "Shanghai Spirit" and building a community with a shared future for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Activities such as the Language Year, Culture Year, Tourism Year, and Youth Day have been held one after another. The first Lu Ban Workshop in Central Asia has continuously supplied professional talents to Tajikistan. The SCO's humanistic cooperation has flourished... At a critical stage when the global and regional governance systems are facing reshaping, the SCO's influence continues to expand, contributing new strength to promoting the establishment of a new international political and economic order that is democratic, just and reasonable.

Qingdao SCO Pearl International Expo Center located in the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone

The "Shanghai Spirit" has vitality and value that transcend time and region. It provides useful reference for all countries committed to good-neighborliness, friendship and common prosperity. It also injects strong impetus into the international community's practice of building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core.