To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an international symposium on 20 Years of SCO: Retrospect and Prospect was held at the Xijiao Hotel in Shanghai on June 24. The conference was supported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by the China Institute of International Studies, the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Centre, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretariat, and organized by the China National Institute of SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation(CNISCO) , and Shanghai University of Political Science and Law (SHUPL). Nearly 200 people from government agencies, research institutions, universities, as well as ambassadors from SCO member states attended the opening ceremony and participated in the academic seminar.
Norov, SCO Secretary-General ; Xu Bu, president of the China Institute of International Studies and Director of the China SCO Research Centre,;Xia Xiaohe, Secretary of the CPC Committee of SHUPL, and Liu Jun, Second Inspector of the Department of Eurasia Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce delivered speeches respectively. The former Secretaries-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Zhang De Guang, Nurgaliyev, Imanaliyev, Mezintsev, and Alimov, sent congratulatory messages for the 20th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
According to Norov, over the past 20 years, the SCO has withstood various tests and has become an important platform for ensuring secure and stable economic development and strengthening cross-civilization dialogue. SCO countries have continued to deepening mutual trust ,understanding, and cooperation among SCO countries , thus making SCO gradually more attractive to countries of different civilizations.
Xia Xiaohe stressed that over the past two decades, SCO has been upholding the Shanghai Spirit and exploring ways to get along with each other while seeking common ground and reserving differences, and its path of development has become wider and its international influence has grown stronger. Against the backdrop of a profoundly evolving international landscape, the young SCO is taking a new path to promote its development, improve the regional governance system and promote the building of a community of shared destiny for mankind.
Xu Bu believes that the world is now undergoing changes unprecedented in a century, and the international situation is entering a period of turbulent change, with the SCO facing new situations and tasks.
Experts at the conference fully acknowledged the fruitful results achieved by SCO in maintaining regional security, promoting economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while continuously improving its mechanisms and institutional construction, and actively carrying out practical cooperation. The experts unanimously agreed that the Shanghai Spirit is the spiritual bond for the SCO countries to build a new type of international relation and a community of shared destiny for mankind. SCO member states will further strengthen their unity, actively participate in global governance.They will also actively participate in global governance and multilateralism, and oppose unilateralism and hegemonism. SCO is not only a contributor to peace and security in the region, but has also become the backbone of global security and stability.
Economic cooperation is one of the important issues on the agenda of SCO, and over the past 20 years, member states have achieved fruitful results in mutual trade, investment and finance. The spirit of the SCO in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic sets an example for other international organizations.
