Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made a four-point proposal on Thursday for enhancing the pragmatic cooperation among members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The premier made the proposal in an address to the 7th SCO prime ministers' meeting in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.    

In order to implement the SCO's treaty on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, and to enhance pragmatic cooperation among its member, efforts should be made to further facilitate trade and investment among the member countries, Wen said.

Measures are needed to enable more investments and major economic and technological cooperation apart from trade in goods and to improve regional trade and investment environments, and China supports the cooperation on establishing special economic zones among adjacent regions of SCO members, he added.  

Secondly, an interconnected infrastructure network within the SCO region needs to be established, the Chinese premier said.

Priorities should be given to the development of major energy, transportation and communication projects, to gradually make the infrastructure of SCO members interconnected, he said.

Thirdly, efforts are needed to further cooperation in finance and among enterprises. The financial sectors of the SCO members should work together for a better understanding of the global macro-economic and financial situations, enhanced coordination of their monetary and financial policies and improved financial supervision, Wen said.

Efforts should also be made to improve the cooperation mechanism among SCO members, and measures are needed to open up new cooperation possibilities and to deepen agricultural cooperation, he said.

The Chinese premier proposed that a study be carried out on the establishment of a science and technology cooperation mechanism, and SCO members start collaboration on clean energy, new material, new technologies and the industrialization of scientific achievements.

The SCO should also strengthen cooperation in culture, education, healthcare, disaster management and relief, and support exchange and contacts of the younger generation, he said.

Wen arrived in Astana Wednesday evening for a three-day visit to Kazakhstan after wrapping up a tour to Russia.

The SCO, founded in Shanghai in 2001, consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Pakistan, India, Iran and Mongolia as observers.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)