China has called on SCO member states to bridge their differences through dialogue, resolutely tackle the forces of terrorism and jointly create a sound security environment for the economic recovery and social stability of all countries. Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, who took part in Security Council Secretaries of the SCO Member States held in New Delhi on Wednesday via video link, said joint efforts are needed to foster a new regional security structure that is balanced, effective and sustainable.National Security Advisor Ajit Doval presided over the meeting.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India holds the presidency of the grouping for this year.Wang said it is important that member countries of the SCO bridge their differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through cooperation, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He asked the member states to resolutely contain and tackle the forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and strengthen cooperation to combat transnational crime like telecom and internet fraud, online gambling, and drug trafficking. Wang said the SCO countries should deepen pragmatic cooperation in the fields of law enforcement and security, and jointly create a sound security environment for the economic recovery and social stability of all countries. He asked all countries to defuse the risks of external interference and safeguard their core interests, such as national sovereignty, territorial integrity and independently choosing development paths.Wang asked the member states to continue to engage in positive interactions to promote a stable structure in war-torn Afghanistan.
Separately, the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, told an online media briefing here on Thursday that a working group of the ministry recently visited India to participate in meetings among the international military cooperation departments under the defence ministries of the SCO member states. In mid-to-late March, the Chinese side also sent delegates to India to attend respectively the SCO Workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and the SCO think-tank exchange on military health and medicine, and participated in the Expert Working Group (EWG) affiliated with the Meeting of the Council of Defence Ministers of the SCO Member States through a video link. During these meetings, the Chinese delegates had close and extensive communication with other participants, which profoundly enhanced the mutual trust and coordination among the parties, he was quoted as saying by the official website of the Chinese military.
“In the next stage, China is willing to cooperate with defence departments and militaries of all SCO member states to vigorously promote the ‘Shanghai Spirit’, continue to accelerate practical cooperation in high-level exchanges, education and training, military inspections and other fields, thus contributing to building a closer SCO community with a shared future,” he said.
