Xi Jinping calls for 'new type' of regional cooperation at SCO summit
Quick Look
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's growth while criticizing military alliances, urging the bloc to guide global history amid rising geopolitical rivalries and the ongoing shadow of war.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance. Xi Jinping's comments reflect China's long-standing opposition to US-led military blocs.
In a veiled reference to Washington’s system of military alliances, Xi said a key lesson from the bloc’s quarter of a century of cooperation was “finding the right way to coexist without alliance, confrontation or targeting any third party”.
“Its most significant achievement has been its steady growth into a new type of regional cooperation organisation that now spans the widest territory, encompasses the largest population, and holds the greatest development potential in the world,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
However, he said, the shadow of the war lingered and the world was at a crossroads, with rivalries between dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum competition, and multilateralism versus unilateralism.
“Standing at a crossroads concerning the future and destiny of humankind, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation should bravely shoulder its responsibility and proactively guide the course of history,” Xi said.
Open Questions
- How will SCO members reconcile internal rivalries?
- What concrete actions will the SCO take to 'guide the course of history'?
