Reference News Network, August 27 report - On August 25, the Russian website "St. Petersburg Diary" published an article titled "Moving Toward the SCO Summit - 'Shanghai Spirit' in Action," authored by Andrey Prutskevikh, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at St. Petersburg State University of Economics. The following is a compilation of the content:
For the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), 2025 is a special year with decisive significance. Since its establishment in 2001, the organization has never faced so many geopolitical and economic challenges. It is no exaggeration to say that all political forces around the globe are looking forward to the SCO Summit to be held from August 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, China. In terms of the scale of heads of state and participants, this meeting will be the most representative one: leaders of more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will gather in Tianjin.
This year, China, as the rotating chair of the SCO, has played an important role. Last July, China took over the rotating chairmanship at the summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan. During this period, China hosted more than 100 events with the theme of "Promoting the 'Shanghai Spirit': The SCO in Action."
In recent years, we often hear the term "Shanghai Spirit," but does everyone clearly understand its connotation? This concept was proposed at the first meeting of the Heads of State Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Shanghai in 2001. The basic content of the "Shanghai Spirit" is "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development."
The "Shanghai Spirit" has largely been an important guarantee for the successful establishment and development of the entire organization. In addition, the action principles followed by the SCO have also received active responses worldwide. These principles are attracting more and more countries to cooperate and develop relations within the SCO family. Although the history of the SCO is not long, it has been filled with historic events since the "Shanghai Five." To date, the organization has 10 official member states, 2 observer states, and 14 dialogue partners. Although expansion is not the goal of the SCO, it obviously indicates that most people recognize the basic concepts and principles of the organization.
At the Astana Summit, President Xi Jinping of China pointed out: "To cope with this great transformation, we need the wisdom to perceive changes, the methods to respond to changes, and the courage to seek change. We should firmly establish the awareness of a community with a shared future, always uphold the 'Shanghai Spirit,' unswervingly follow a development path that suits the national conditions and the actual situation of the region, and jointly build a better Shanghai Cooperation Organization home, allowing the people of all countries to live in peace, work with satisfaction, and enjoy happiness." These words summarize the extensive work carried out by China during its tenure as the rotating chair of the SCO.
The upcoming summit will make decisions on principled issues in the global agenda, forming a "non-Western" perspective on global governance. The main achievements of the Tianjin summit will not only determine the activities of the SCO itself, but will also largely guide many countries that identify with the principle of a multipolar world. The importance of the Tianjin summit also lies in the fact that, according to the consensus-based principle on which all SCO decisions are based, this will be a unified position agreed upon by all members of the organization! (Translated by He Yingjun)
This is the sign "2025, Let's Meet at the SCO, Bloom in Tianjin" located in the square behind Tianjin Station (drone photo, taken on August 22) (Xinhua News Agency)
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543115521202422310/
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