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SCO should improve mechanisms to respond to security threats: Xi Jinping
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was among the foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) whom Xi met here ahead of their meeting in Tianjin.
Xi said that over the past 24 years since its founding, the SCO has always upheld the Shanghai Spirit, grown into a mature and robust organisation, and demonstrated strong vitality.
He stressed that in the face of a turbulent and changing international landscape, the SCO must stay focused and confident, act efficiently and play a more proactive role in injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world.
Xi said China has always prioritised the SCO in its neighbourhood diplomacy, and is committed to making the organisation more substantive and stronger, safeguarding regional security and stability, promoting the development and prosperity of member states and building a closer community with a shared future.
The SCO should improve mechanisms to respond to security threats and challenges, build a solid security barrier, and meet the public's expectations for peace and stability, an official press release on the meeting quoted him as saying.
The SCO, over the years, has developed a security mechanism called the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) to deal with issues relating to security and defence.
China currently holds the rotating Presidency of the SCO.
With the SCO Summit set to take place this year in China's Tianjin, Xi expressed hope to meet the leaders of other member states at the event to discuss the future development of the SCO.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of the other SCO member countries were expected to attend it.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was earlier quoted as saying by Tass news agency that the summit is set to be held in Tianjin between August 30 and September 1.
The SCO comprises 10 member states - China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
Xi said that since China assumed the rotating presidency last July, it has actively carried out activities and advanced cooperation, with all parties taking solid steps to jointly build a better home for the SCO.
Xi said the SCO should base its cooperation on mutual trust and mutual benefit, uphold equality and consultation in interactions, promote harmony and inclusiveness through respect for diverse civilisations, and achieve shared prosperity through common development.
It should also align development strategies among member states and deepen collaboration under initiatives like the Belt and Road to achieve higher-quality, more sustainable development.
The organisation should firmly oppose hegemony, power politics, and bullying; promote a more equal and orderly multipolar world, he said in a veiled attack against the US.
It should uphold the principles of joint consultation, construction, and sharing, so that economic globalisation becomes more inclusive and beneficial to all, he said.
The organisation should also unite and lead the Global South in promoting a more just and reasonable global governance system, contributing powerful momentum to building a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said.
Wang Yi, in his capacity as Chair of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, briefed the meeting on the progress China has made since taking over the rotating presidency and the preparations for the Tianjin Summit.
Speaking on behalf of the participating foreign representatives, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the SCO has achieved remarkable cooperation results and continues to grow in international influence.
In light of the complex international environment, he emphasised the need for the SCO to uphold multilateralism and guide the international order toward a fairer and more rational direction, he said.
All parties expressed their willingness to actively support China's work as the chair, build consensus, and ensure the complete success of the Tianjin Summit, Levrov said.
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The US president is uniting the group at a moment when they were facing significant challenges. Yet the Brics have never been a completely harmonious group in terms of their international interests and positioning. India and China have a long-standing rivalry in Asia. India has long viewed China's proximity to Pakistan, its primary foe, with suspicion. Brazil, India, and South Africa have consistently sought to maintain a non-aligned stance, refusing to be entirely aligned with Russia in its tensions with the West. The challenges for consensus have increased with Iran joining the group and its views on Palestine and Yemen. Egypt and Ethiopia also have some regional rivalries. Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE won't let pass anything against the US. There are issues about support for Brics currency. China is India's second-largest commercial partner, surpassed only by the US. With the new US tariffs, China will gain even more economic influence over India. 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Brics is expected to be a major driver of future global economic growth, particularly with the continued expansion of the Brics-plus grouping, while the G7's growth is projected to be slower. More than 40 countries have expressed an interest in Brics membership, including Nato member Turkey. But Brics faces challenges related to internal conflicts and diverging foreign policies, while the G7 generally maintains greater unity, though US-Canada and US-EU frictions are now more visible. Russia, China and Iran are keen to compete with the dollar as a reserve currency, to circumvent sanctions and to present a counter-model to the West, which is perceived as too dominant. Countries such as South Africa and Egypt, on the other hand, attach importance to economic diversification and strengthening the voice of the global South without burning all other bridges. China is attempting to dominate the Brics alliance politically. However, India is growing into another major regional power that is competing with China's ambitions, especially as India is pushing its own model of 'Strategic Autonomy'. For India, Brics membership is increasingly becoming a balancing act. It is the only country in the group to find itself in open conflict with heavyweight China. India is not in favour of the anti-Western course that China, Russia and Iran would like to see for the Brics. It is a wait-and-watch time for international politics and global order. The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
