SCO

BEIJING — The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) remains prepared to expand its membership to countries that share its vision, said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

“The SCO will uphold the principle of openness and inclusiveness and keep its doors open to all countries who identify with the Shanghai spirit,” she told reporters at her regular press conference on Friday.

Mao Ning said this when responding to a question if the attendance of SCO non-dialogue partners countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, indicates that SCO is considering admission of new member states.

The text of her press conference was published on the ministry’s website.

On Friday, Bernama reported China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin as saying that Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will join more than 20 world leaders at the upcoming SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin, China, from Aug 31 to Sept 1.

An official from the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing said Malaysia will be involved in the SCO Plus Meeting during the summit.

SCO was established in 2001 in Shanghai by six founding nations – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The member countries have now expanded to 10 after Pakistan, India, Iran and Belarus joined the organisation, while Mongolia and Afghanistan have been granted observer status.

Among the 13 SCO dialogue partners are Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives. — BERNAMA

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BEIJING – China slammed “hegemonism and power politics” on Friday as it touted an upcoming summit it is hosting for more than 20 world leaders as promoting stability and peace.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit will be held in the northern city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, days before a huge military parade in the nearby capital Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.

China has long sought to present the SCO as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed for greater collaboration between its 10 members.

More than 20 foreign leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the regional security bloc’s largest meeting since it was founded, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said Friday.

Top politicians from member states or guest countries such as Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam are also among those taking part.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver keynote speeches at the event — also attended by heads of international organisations such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Through the summit, China hopes “to stimulate momentum for cooperation…(and) with the stability and resilience of the SCO, respond to the uncertain and unpredictable factors in the international environment”, Liu told reporters at a briefing.

“In today’s world, outdated mindsets of hegemonism and power politics still have influence, with certain countries attempting to prioritise their own interests above others, seriously threatening world peace and stability,” he added in a veiled reference to the United States.

“The more complex and turbulent the international situation becomes, the more countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to promote common development.”

Xi said in July that the SCO “has successfully explored a path of regional cooperation that aligns with the trends of the times and meets the needs of all parties, setting a model for a new type of international relations”. –AFP

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