—Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Speech at the 13th Meeting of the Council of Heads of

SCO Member States in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, on September 13, 2013

I am pleased to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. Thanks for the careful preparations and thoughtful arrangements of Kyrgyzstan for the Summit. China highly appreciates the remarkable work that Kyrgyzstan has made over the past year for promoting the development of SCO.

In the face of the latest development of the regional and international situation and based on the common aspiration of SCO members for maintaining stability, developing the economy and improving people’s livelihoods, the summit has focused on the implementation of the Treaty of the Long-term Good Neighborly and Friendly Cooperation among Member States of the SCO, and will ratify the implementation outline of the treaty as well as set a blueprint for the future development in the next five years of the organization, which would open up broad prospects for the future development of SCO.

The current international and regional situation is complex, and the SCO is faced with both rare opportunities and severe challenges. The “Three evil forces,” drug trafficking, transnational organized crime are serious threats to regional security and stability. Affected by the international financial crisis, all countries have met with various degrees of difficulties in their economic development.

We need to establish the awareness of solidarity, mutual benefits and win-win results, strengthen cooperation, and work together for self-improvement and joint development. Hereby, I propose the SCO to deepen cooperation on the following aspects:

First, to promote mutual trust, mutual benefits, equality, consultation, respect cultural diversity, and seek the “Shanghai Spirit” for common development.

We should earnestly implement the Treaty of the Long-term Good Neighborly and Friendly Cooperation among Member States of the SCO, support each other on major issues, such as sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, political system, social stability and development path and pattern, jointly deal with threats and challenges, and maintain the security and development interests of the member states. Conduct mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of equality, consultation, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, and encourage members be good neighbors to one another, good friends and good partners through thick and thin.

Second, to jointly safeguard regional security and stability. A safe and stable regional situation is the requirement for mutual beneficial cooperation and common prosperity. We should implement the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, and cooperation outline, perfect the system of law enforcement and security cooperation, endow the regional counter-terrorism agencies the function of drug control, set up a comprehensive center to deal with security threats and challenges.

The relevant departments of all members should establish regular information communication channels to jointly combat the “three evil forces,” creating a pleasant environment for people’s livelihoods and production of SCO members.

As an observer state of SCO, the situation in Afghanistan is closely linked with regional security. SCO should support Afghanistan’s national reconciliation process, help Afghanistan realize peace and stability as early as possible, and jointly safeguard regional security.

Third, to focus on the development of pragmatic cooperation. Pragmatic cooperation is the material base and motive power for the development of SCO. As all six members and five observer states are countries along the ancient Silk Road, we have a duty to pass on and carry forward the Silk Road spirit.

We should sign an Agreement on the Facilitation of International Road Transport as soon as possible, build transport corridors connecting the Baltic Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and linking Central Asia with the Indian Ocean and with the Persian Gulf.

We should negotiate an agreement on trade and investment facilitation; promote the regional economic cooperation on the basis of giving full consideration of concerns and interests of all parties; bring out the full potential of all members to realize advantageous complementarities and promote common development and prosperity.

We should strengthen cooperation in the financial sector, establish SCO Development Bank as a financing and clearing platform for infrastructure construction and economic and trade cooperation within SCO. At the same time, we should establish SCO special account to provide financial support for project study, exchanges and training within the organization; make full use of the SCO banks association to strengthen exchange and cooperation of financial institutes of SCO members.

We should set up energy club, establish stable supply-demand relationship to ensure energy security and conduct extensive cooperation on raising energy efficiency as well as new energy development.

We should establish food security cooperation mechanism, and strengthen cooperation in agricultural production, trade of agricultural products, food safety and other fields.

Fourth, to strengthen people-to-people communications and non-governmental exchanges, laying solid public opinion and social foundations for the development of the SCO. All members should carry out extensive cooperation on areas including culture, education, film and television, health, physical education and tourism.

In the SCO Beijing Summit last year, China announced to provide 30,000 government scholarships for students from other SCO members to study in China over the next decade. We would like to cooperate with all SCO members closely to carry out the project well.

China will set up China-SCO International Judicial Exchange and Training Center at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, and is willing to use this platform to cultivate judicial professionals for other SCO members.

Traditional medicine is a new area for cooperation of SCO members. China is willing to cooperate with all members to build Chinese traditional medical treatment institutions, making full use of Chinese traditional medicine to serve people’s health of all SCO member states.

Based on the consensus reached by all parties, China has taken the lead in establishing SCO Good-Neighborly and Friendly Cooperation Committee, in line with the consensus reached by all parties. We suggest all SCO members and observer states establish similar social organizations to increase mutual understanding and traditional friendship among people from all countries.

The Bishkek Declaration published during the summit has stated the position of SCO members on Syrian issue. China pays high attention to the situation in Syria, supports the international community to actively push for ceasing fire and stopping violence, and calls on the conflicting parties in Syria to resolve crisis through political means. China supports Russia’s suggestion to place Syria’s chemical weapons under the supervision of the international community and gradually destroy them, and is willing to strengthen communications and coordination with relevant parties through the UN Security Council, and to continue unremitting efforts to promote a political settlement of the Syrian issue.