SCO grows as a major force for world peace, stability
13/6/2006 15:31
The five-year-old Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is to
hold its 2006 summit in Shanghai on Thursday, has been growing as a major force
for world peace, stability and development.
As one of the regional
organizations formed against the backdrop of economic globalization and
political multi- polarization in the world, the SCO has seen a fast expansion in
areas of cooperation among its member countries from politics and security to
economy and culture following its founding in 2001 in the Chinese city.
The
SCO, which groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, is now seen as a mature international organization with a
solidly-laid foundation, a complete set of stable mechanisms for cooperation and
efficient working structure.
Acting under "the Shanghai Spirit," China has
completely resolved the border disputes left over by history with Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after the signing of agreements on
confidence building and reciprocal cut in armed forces in border areas.
The
SCO members have also strengthened cooperation and coordination on major
international and "hotspot" issues and made concerted joint efforts in pushing
for the establishment of a new political and economic world order.
They
adopted a common position on the situation in Afghanistan and expressed common
views on multi-polarization, democratization in international relations,
economic globalization, multilateralism, diversification of civilizations and
human rights.
Security has been a main area of cooperation among the SCO
member countries, which signed the agreement on fighting terrorism, separatism
and extremism on June 15, 2001 when the SCO was set up, several months before
the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
In
anti-terror cooperation, satisfying progress has been made in collecting,
analyzing and sharing information and personnel training in the past five
years.
In the economic area, guidelines on multilateral trade and economic
cooperation among the SCO nations were formulated at the Beijing prime
ministers' meeting in September 2003.
The goal is to achieve free flow of
goods, service, capital and technology by 2020 among the SCO countries through
trade and investment facilitation and economic and technological
cooperation.
A total of 127 projects were identified for cooperation at the
SCO prime ministers' meeting in September 2004 in Bishkek, capital of
Kyrgyzstan, as a follow-up to implement the guidelines.
The projects cover
the areas of trade, investment, customs, finance, taxation, transportation,
energy, agriculture, technology, telecommunication, environment, health and
education.
A new security concept, a new mode for nation-to-nation relations
and a new mode for regional cooperation have appeared on the horizon as the SCO
deepens cooperation in line with "the Shanghai Spirit," which calls for mutual
trust and common security, partnership and non-alliance, openness and
transparency, equality and consensus, mutual benefit and being not against any
third country or regional groups.
With a great potential for and a broad and
bright prospect of cooperation, The six-member SCO has aroused worldwide
interest in it as more and more countries hope to enhance exchange with
it.
Mongolia, India, Iran and Pakistan have been granted the status of SCO
observers and they have established close cooperative relations with the
regional grouping.
The SCO also strengthened cooperation and exchanges with
other international organizations such as the Commonwealth of Independent States
and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
There are good reasons to
believe that the SCO will continue to make contributions to peace, stability and
development in the region and the world at large.
Xinhua News
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