From September 14 to 16, 2022, H.E. President Xi Jinping attended the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand and paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan upon invitation.
The visit takes place at a time when the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, a protracted COVID-19 pandemic, profound adjustments in major-country relations, the spread and spill-over of geopolitical conflicts and mounting difficulties and challenges facing humanity at large. Domestically, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is soon to be held. The Chinese people are united in a common effort and ushering in bright prospects for China’s national rejuvenation.
Being the first overseas visit by President Xi Jinping since COVID-19 began, the visit is a major diplomatic action of the CPC Central Committee vis-à-vis Eurasia in light of both domestic and international imperatives, and an important landmark visit undertaken at a crucial and historic juncture.
Over three days and two nights, President Xi Jinping flew to Nur-Sultan and then Samarkand and, within a 48-hour stay, attended nearly 30 multilateral and bilateral events with a twin focus on security and development. The visit has had many highlights and created fruitful outcomes. With the visit’s facilitation, the expansion of the SCO took a new step forward. The visit also successfully steered China’s relations with relevant countries to new levels. It is a visit that pointed the way forward in turbulent times and reinvigorated the ancient Silk Road. The visit has added stabilizing factors to the regional and international landscape that are currently at a crossroads. The visit has created more favorable international conditions for China’s new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects and fully demonstrated the extraordinary vision and sense of responsibility of a major country and a major political party that care about the world and stay at the forefront of the trend of the times.
- Carry forward the Shanghai Spirit and open a new phase of development of the SCO
President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Samarkand Summit. President Xi Jinping gave an insightful review of the success of the SCO, attributing it to the organization’s commitment to political trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, equality, openness and inclusiveness, and equity and justice, and said these five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit. The commitment to these five points is a practice of true multilateralism that rises above traditional bloc politics. It is an answer to the question of what new type of regional cooperation is required in the new era and how to advance it, offering significant guidance for the SCO’s development and the sound and equitable development of international relations.
President Xi Jinping put forward five suggestions, emphasizing that we need to enhance mutual support, expand security cooperation, deepen practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and uphold multilateralism.
The summit adopted over 40 outcome documents covering economy, finance, technology, culture, institution-building, external exchanges and so on. It adopted four major statements on international energy and food security, tackling climate change, and keeping supply chains secure, stable and diversified. The Chinese side also announced that it is ready to establish a China-SCO base for training counter-terrorism personnel, host a forum on industrial and supply chains, set up a China-SCO Big Data Cooperation Center, and provide developing countries in need with emergency humanitarian assistance of grain and other supplies worth 1.5 billion RMB. These tangible measures meet the needs of various countries, and show that China not only presented the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, but also carried out the initiatives with real actions.
At the summit, the SCO accepted Iran as a member state, supported the starting of the procedure for the accession of Belarus, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the UAE, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. This is a new and the largest round of expansion for the SCO. It helps consolidate the standing and influence of the SCO as an organization for regional cooperation with the largest population and the largest landmass in the world, and demonstrates once again the dynamism, ability to unite, and appeal of the Shanghai Spirit. The expansion also fully shows that the SCO is not an isolated and exclusive “small circle”, but an open and inclusive “big family”. The SCO, as a new type of international organization consisting of 26 countries, has shown stronger vitality and more promising prospects, and will definitely inject more positive energy and new impetus into safeguarding peace and prosperity of the Eurasian continent and the world, and play an exemplary role in promoting the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.
At the summit, the Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed and released, which fully absorbed the main elements of the series of important initiatives China had made.
- Write a new chapter of good-neighborly friendship between China and Kazakhstan, and between China and Uzbekistan under the guidance of building a community with a shared future
The heads of state of both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan attached great importance to the visit and treated President Xi Jinping as their most honored guest by personally directing and planning the visit and extending full diplomatic protocol and the highest level of reception. As announced, China and Kazakhstan will work for the goal and vision of building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe, while China and Uzbekistan will, bearing in mind the long-term development of China-Uzbekistan relations and the future welfare of the two peoples, implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level and give bilateral relations a whole new characterization.
President Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan will continue to firmly uphold the one-China policy and be a good partner and good friend that China can always rely on under all circumstances. In Uzbekistan, President Mirziyoyev said that Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China principle, and firmly supports China’s position on matters concerning its core interests and that Uzbekistan will always be trustworthy as well as a good neighbor, good friend and good partner for China.
During the tour, nearly 30 bilateral cooperation documents across a broad range of areas, including finance, water conservancy, digital economy, green development, culture, and sub-national cooperation, have been signed. Among them, the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project marks important progress in the construction of a major transport route in the Eurasian continent.
Ⅲ. Deepen strategic communication with all parties to inject positive energy into the peaceful development of the Eurasian continent.
President Xi Jinping also held bilateral meetings in Samarkand with the leaders of 10 countries attending the SCO Summit at their request and attended the trilateral meeting between China, Russia and Mongolia. President Xi Jinping held his second face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year, which was also the first meeting between the heads of state of China and Russia on the international occasion since the outbreak of the pandemic. The two heads of state positively evaluated the fruitful strategic communication maintained between the two countries this year, and said that they will continue to strongly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests, strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks, promote the enhancement of solidarity and mutual trust among all parties, and safeguard the common interests of vast developing countries and emerging markets.
The heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia held an in-person meeting for the first time after three years. President Xi Jinping fully recognized the achievements of trilateral cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia, and put forward four proposals on promoting the trilateral cooperation, stressing the need to firmly grasp the right direction of the trilateral cooperation, elevate cooperation within the framework of the SCO, implement well the projects under the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and cultivate more deliverables of the trilateral cooperation.
President Xi Jinping met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon respectively. President Xi Jinping reiterated his support for Central Asian countries in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and security, opposition to any external forces’ interference in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries, and support for Central Asian countries in strengthening integrated cooperation. All parties agreed to expand and strengthen the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism to maintain security and stability in Central Asia and promote common development in the region.
President Xi Jinping also met with the leaders of Iran, Belarus, Pakistan, Mongolia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan separately, reaching many new and important common understandings on advancing the development of bilateral relations. They also exchanged views and formed synergy on promoting the political settlement of regional hotspot issues such as Iranian nuclear issue, Afghanistan and the Middle East issues. The Chinese and Belarusian heads of state issued a joint statement and unanimously decided to upgrade China-Belarus relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.
In response to the recent attempts by certain countries to undermine China’s sovereignty and interfere in China’s internal affairs, the leaders of the above-mentioned countries took the initiative to reiterate during their meetings that they will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and firmly support China’s position on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other core interests. This shows once again that it is clear to all who stands for fairness and justice. China enjoys abundant support for its just cause.
- Expound on the bright future of China’s development and look forward to the new journey of a major country and a major political party.
The leaders of the countries who met President Xi Jinping during his visit took the initiative to wish the 20th National Congress of the CPC a full success. They expressed confidence in China’s development prospects and the hope to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China on all fronts. They said they looked forward to China playing a greater role in international affairs.
On various occasions during this visit, President Xi Jinping shared stories about China and the CPC by presenting China’s history and reality, and theories and practices, and shared experience in state governance with leaders of other countries. President Xi Jinping expounded on the significance and overall goals of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, introduced China’s reform and development and made an insightful explanation of China’s diplomatic visions and propositions. The relevant leaders spoke highly of the two great initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, namely the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. They believed that the GDI and the GSI put forward by China are of important strategic significance for solving the risks and challenges facing the world today.
President Xi Jinping’s visit is yet another successful practice and vivid embodiment of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. The Chinese people will unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, follow Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, strive to break new ground in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and continuously make new contributions to building a modern socialist country in all respects and promoting world peace and development!
