China hosts SCO foreign ministers’ meeting as Tianjin prepares for summit

Reuters

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers met in Tianjin on 15 July, laying the groundwork for the upcoming SCO summit set for the end of August.

The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States convened in Tianjin on 15 July, with China hosting the meeting as the current rotating chair. The gathering marked a key step in preparing for the SCO summit, scheduled to take place in the same city from 31 August to 1 September.

Ahead of the ministerial meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping received the visiting foreign ministers and heads of SCO permanent bodies in Beijing. Xi urged the organisation to remain focused and confident amid a turbulent international environment and called on member states to embrace the founding mission of the SCO. He described the group as a key force for promoting cooperation, stability and the "Shanghai Spirit", and for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired the session and outlined a five-point vision for the SCO’s future. His proposal included staying committed to the organisation’s founding principles, reinforcing collective security, fostering mutually beneficial development, strengthening regional amity, and defending global fairness and justice.

Wang, speaking alongside SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev after the meeting, confirmed that all parties had reached consensus on preparations for the late-August summit. Participants expressed appreciation for China’s leadership as rotating chair and pledged to cooperate closely to ensure the Tianjin summit's success.

The foreign ministers’ meeting, described by Chinese officials as productive and harmonious, laid the political foundation for what China hopes will be a milestone gathering. The SCO, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries, is expected to use the summit to enhance its role in regional and global affairs.

Beijing said it anticipates the summit will usher the SCO into a new phase of high-quality development marked by greater solidarity, stronger coordination and more robust cooperation across member states.

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