Wang Mingchang, Central Asia Office, China Institute of Modern International Studies

On June 9, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and delivered an important speech entitled "Unite, collaborate, open and inclusive, and build a common home of security, stability, development and prosperity." Reading President Xi Jinping’s speech carefully, the following five points deserve attention:

1. The SCO is related to the overall diplomatic situation of China. Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has planned and planned the overall diplomatic work with grand strategic thinking. He has visited 48 countries a total of 24 times, focusing on neighboring and major countries, developing countries as the basis, and multilateral diplomacy as the stage. For China, the SCO is not only a neighboring country, but also a major country, and it is also multilateral. It is related to the overall situation of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics of "coordination of land and sea, and consideration of both east and west". Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping has participated in five consecutive SCO heads of state summits and delivered important speeches at each summit. From September 2013, when President Xi attended the SCO Leaders' Summit in Bishkek for the first time, he delivered "Promoting the "Shanghai Spirit" and Promoting Common Development" to "Promoting the Shanghai Spirit, Consolidating Unity and Mutual Trust, and Comprehensively Deepening Cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization" at the Tashkent Summit in June 2016, all of which show that he attaches great importance to the SCO.

2. The contemporary significance of the “Shanghai Spirit” is extremely precious. The SCO is a special organization that takes the "Shanghai Spirit" as its soul and consensus as its principle. It is a model for China to build non-traditional security cooperation and a model for China's good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with neighboring countries. "The strong cohesion generated by the 'Shanghai Spirit' is the guarantee for the development of this organization." President Xi Jinping once again emphasized at the summit that member states must firmly follow the "Shanghai Spirit." A careful reading of President Xi Jinping’s speeches at previous SCO Heads of State Summits reveals that the term “Shanghai Spirit” appears most frequently. Currently, the international situation is undergoing major changes since the end of the Cold War, and domestic reform and development tasks have become more arduous and onerous. Therefore, the significance of the "Shanghai Spirit" of the times is extremely precious. Only by working together in the same boat can all countries properly respond to threats and challenges.

3. The SCO can protect the Belt and Road Initiative. In September 2013, after President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative to jointly build the "Silk Road Economic Belt", the strategic significance of the SCO was further enhanced. The SCO and the Belt and Road Initiative complement each other. The member states and observer states of the SCO are all important participants in the Belt and Road Initiative. After India and Pakistan join, the SCO will cover the four important economic corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative, namely China, Mongolia and Russia, the New Eurasian Continental Bridge, China-Central Asia-West Asia, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The SCO can safeguard the Belt and Road Initiative. In his speech, President Xi Jinping once again proposed, "China proposes to gradually establish institutional arrangements for regional economic cooperation, starting from the negotiation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, and deepening pragmatic cooperation."

4. China has an open and positive attitude toward membership expansion. China opposes any form of hegemonism and power politics and does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs. Within the SCO, China does not seek dominance or use its power to bully the small. The best proof is that China adheres to the principle of consensus. All member states, regardless of size, have voting rights. Therefore, China has always been open to the issue of membership expansion. In his speech, President Xi Jinping emphasized, "Adhering to openness and inclusiveness, China supports the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to carry out multi-form and wide-ranging cooperation with observer states, dialogue partners and other countries, and will continue to carefully study the applications of relevant countries to obtain the legal status of the organization in accordance with relevant regulations and the principle of consensus." This time, India and Pakistan have become full members of the SCO, opening the door to the opening and expansion of the SCO in the future.

5. China will take over the rotating chairmanship of the SCO. In his speech, President Xi Jinping announced, "After the Astana Summit, China will take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and host the summit in June 2018. China will conscientiously perform its duties and work with all parties to bring an increasing sense of gain to the people of all countries and work together to create a brighter future for the organization." The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has special significance to China. It is an international organization initiated by China and named after a Chinese city.

The 2018 summit will be the first time since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that the SCO Heads of State Summit has returned to China. It will also be an important foreign affairs event in the first year of the 19th National Congress. It will involve both domestic and international situations, and the two main lines of relationship development and security. At the same time, India and Pakistan will also formally participate in the conference as associate members for the first time. China will definitely attach great importance to it and make careful plans to usher in a new era for the SCO to be enterprising and courageous in taking on responsibilities.