Tianjin – Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) now carries “greater responsibility” in safeguarding regional peace and stability while also driving prosperity and development across its member states. He made the remarks on Sunday evening while addressing nearly 20 world leaders gathered for the summit in northern China.
Leaders from across Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East are attending the event in Tianjin, which Beijing has framed as a powerful display of Global South solidarity. The SCO, founded in 2001, has increasingly sought to position itself as a counterbalance to Western-led security and economic alliances.
Speaking at a welcome banquet, Xi stressed that the SCO summit has the important mission of building consensus and generating momentum for cooperation among its diverse members. He was quoted by state-run Xinhua News Agency as saying that unity and coordination were essential for regional peace.
Xi also expressed confidence in the summit’s outcomes, noting that with concerted efforts from all sides, the SCO would continue to expand its influence, achieve greater progress, and make a “bigger contribution to unity and cooperation” across its member states.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Tianjin summit marks the largest annual gathering in the history of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Member states are expected to adopt several key documents, including a development strategy that will guide the bloc for the next decade.
At the welcome banquet, President Xi Jinping highlighted Tianjin’s role as one of China’s most open and dynamic cities, describing it as a pioneering hub of reform and opening-up. He said hosting the SCO summit in Tianjin would inject fresh vitality into the organisation’s vision for sustainable development.
Xi further emphasized the growing influence of the SCO on the global stage, stating that the body has emerged as an important force in shaping a new type of international relations and advancing the idea of a “community with a shared future for humanity.”
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