New Delhi: China confirmed on Friday that its President Xi Jinping will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit next week, which is being hosted virtually by India. Pakistan also announced that its Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, will participate in the summit. The SCO currently consists of eight member nations, including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
According to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, President Xi will attend the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO via video conference on July 4, delivering important remarks. The Pakistani foreign ministry highlighted Sharif's participation as a demonstration of Pakistan's commitment to the SCO, emphasising its significance as a forum for regional security and prosperity.
India, as the current SCO chair, had previously announced that the summit would take place in a virtual format due to various factors without providing further details. India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO in September 2022, and under its leadership, the 22nd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Observer states Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have also been invited, along with Turkmenistan as the guest of the Chair. The summit will feature the participation of heads of two SCO bodies and representatives from international and regional organizations like UN, ASEAN, CIS, CSTO, EAEU and CICA.
The theme of the summit is "Towards a SECURE SCO," with the acronym representing Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment. India's chairmanship has focused on cooperation pillars such as Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Digital Inclusion, Youth Empowerment, and Shared Buddhist Heritage. The cultural and tourist capital events in Varanasi have fostered people-to-people ties among SCO member nations.
During India's chairmanship, 134 meetings and events, including 14 ministerial-level meetings, have been hosted, contributing to mutual cooperation among member states. India remains committed to playing a positive and constructive role in the organisation and anticipates a successful SCO summit as the culmination of its chairmanship.
