SCO Astana summit to build more consensus among all parties: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China believes that the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will help build more consensus among all parties and make contributions to promoting security, stability and development of member countries, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

China has announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Spokesperson Mao Ning said since the SCO was established 23 years ago, its member states have adhered to the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development.

They have jointly promoted solidarity and mutual trust, carried out multilateral coordination, and successfully built the SCO into a security barrier, a bridge for cooperation, a bond of friendship and a constructive force in the region, setting an example of a new type of international relations and new regional cooperation, Mao said.

The upcoming SCO summit is the most important event within the framework of the SCO this year, during which President Xi will engage in in-depth discussions with leaders of other participating countries on deepening cooperation across various fields and on major international and regional issues, and make plans and arrangements for the SCO's future development, the spokesperson said.

After the Astana summit, China will assume the SCO's rotating presidency for the 2024-2025 period.

China attaches great importance to this and has already started comprehensive preparatory work, Mao said.

"We are ready to work with all parties to deepen cooperation on fields of politics, security, economy, trade and culture, under the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit, and promote the high-quality development of the SCO and the building of an even closer SCO community with a shared future to bring more benefits to people in the region and contribute more to lasting peace and common prosperity in the world," she said.