SCO should prioritize development, make global governance more just and equitable: China Daily editorial

BEIJING, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The following article was published today by China Daily.

Carrying on the "Shanghai Spirit" after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's founding 25 years ago, the SCO Summit 2026 held on Tuesday in Bishkek is of practical importance to implement the outcomes of the previous Tianjin summit so as to advance the organization's high-quality development in the new era.

President Xi Jinping attended the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and the "SCO Plus" meeting in the Kyrgyz capital, calling on the organization to uphold development as its priority and shoulder the responsibility of the times.

The SCO's most important experience of cooperation is that it has found the right way of coexistence featuring non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, while bringing countries in the region together to build a common home, as Xi said.

That has helped the organization steadily grow into a new type of regional cooperation organization with the largest land area and population and enormous development potential.

But today's world is more complex and volatile than it was 25 years ago, presenting formidable challenges. Whether the SCO can rise to these tests will depend on its ability to build on the foundation it has laid and whether it can strengthen cooperation and seize the historical opportunities presented by the changing times.

To that end, Xi put forward a four-point proposal for the organization.

Specifically, the SCO should stay committed to putting development first and open up the prospects for shared prosperity. And it should stay committed to taking security as a key goal, and foster an environment of common security.

In the process, the SCO should stay committed to a people-centered approach and cement the foundation for everlasting friendship. Meanwhile, it should promote dialogue and consultation, and strive for more equitable and orderly governance.

To lend practical effect to the proposal, Xi pledged concrete Chinese actions to support its realization. China sees the SCO region as a priority area for the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road and the implementation of the Global Development Initiative; the country is ready to help build the SCO into an important platform for implementing the Global Security Initiative. China is also willing to work with all SCO parties to implement the Global Civilization Initiative; and it supports the SCO in pursuing exemplary cooperation to implement the Global Governance Initiative.

While Xi's address in the first meeting focused primarily on strengthening the SCO's own development and cooperation, his speech in the following "SCO Plus" meeting turned to the wider challenges confronting the international order and the SCO's global responsibility.

As an important part of a multipolar world and a key driving force behind it, Global South countries ought to have greater representation and voice in international affairs.

"We should promote the common values of humanity, reject double standards, exceptionalism, foreign interference, bullying and the law of the jungle, and advance the rule of law in international relations," Xi pointed out.

He called on the SCO members to work together to advance a more just and equitable system of global governance.

For that purpose, the organization should advance common prosperity in the vast continent straddling Asia and Europe with the SCO's strength, promote the development and rise of the Global South through the SCO's wisdom, and guide the reform and improvement of global governance through the SCO's actions.

Taken together, Xi's speeches in the two meetings set out both the direction of the SCO's high-quality development and its broader role in global engagement.

By staying true to its founding principles and taking the people-centered and action-oriented approach while transforming the outcomes of its latest summit into actions and results, the SCO can further enhance its capacity to respond to the needs of the times.

In doing so, the organization can effectively contribute to an equal and orderly multipolar world, make global governance more just and equitable, and foster the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

SOURCE China Daily