In his speech on Monday, Xi laid out a five-point proposal for the bloc’s future – urging members to “uphold unity in diversity”, “pursue mutual benefit and win-win cooperation”, “remain open and inclusive”, “uphold fairness and justice” and “promote practical and efficient cooperation”.
“We should strengthen trade and investment facilitation, expand cooperation in energy, green industries, digital economy and artificial intelligence, and together move toward modernisation,” Xi told the gathering.
The Chinese leader also stressed that the SCO must shoulder the “shared responsibility of promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity”, while deepening coordination against security threats, including terrorism and narcotics.
He announced new Chinese initiatives, including 100 “small but smart” livelihood projects and an additional 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in development loans, as part of efforts to cement the SCO’s role as a platform for cooperation.
Xi also pledged two billion yuan in grant assistance to SCO member states this year, alongside investment pledges.
Starting next year, China will double the number of SCO scholarships, part of what Xi called efforts to “cultivate innovative talent” and deepen people-to-people ties.
