China expects Pakistan’s active role in SCO

BEIJING: China attached high importance to Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and hoped that Pakistan will be its active member in promoting the Shanghai's spirit that meant to ensure regional peace and security to improving the living condition of the people.

Welcoming Pakistan into SCO’s fold as full-member, officials of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Pakistan is an important country of the region, and it had been fully supporting its charter as an observer in the past.

China hopes that the SCO will become stronger, with Pakistan and India as it full-member, in addressing the socio-economic and security challenges, confronting the region.

The SCO will hold a summit-level meeting in June in east China's coastal city of Qingdao and China is expecting to exchange ideas on dealing with global issues and rolling out cooperative measures in all spheres of common interest.

The SCO, after 17 years, has grown into the world's most populous comprehensive regional organization. It now accounts for over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass, nearly half of the world's population and over 20 percent of global GDP.

Experts say the upcoming summit is widely expected to inject new drive into the development of regional organization toward a closer "community of shared future" for member countries.

With a focus on carrying on the "Shanghai Spirit", the bedrock of the SCO, the Qingdao summit will enhance trust and solidarity between the member states and build a closer SCO community.