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Hu calls for closer cooperation among SCO members

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Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday called for enhancing cooperation among members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), urging new cooperation models and proposing identifying non-resource sectors as a new priority for economic cooperation.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (7th L) and other participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit pose for a group photo in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, on June 11, 2010.[Ju Peng/Xinhua]

"Over the past year, our practical cooperation in various fields within the SCO has been fruitful and has contributed greatly to our collective response to the international financial crisis," Hu said at an SCO annual summit in the Uzbek capital.

In his speech, the Chinese leader made a six-point proposal on boosting the cooperation.

Hu firstly called on the member states to strengthen their solidarity and mutual trust to consolidate the political foundation for the organization's development.

He said the SCO member states should keep increasing their strategic dialogue and policy coordination and cooperate closely on issues concerning sovereignty, security and development.

Secondly, Hu urged the SCO to step up its counter-terrorism efforts and build a safe environment for the organization's development.

The SCO members should "effectively increase the capability of fighting the 'three forces'" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in the region, Hu said.

Hu also called on the member states to enhance their efforts and cooperation in such areas as intelligence sharing, border management and control, anti-drug trafficking, transnational crimes and personnel training and exchanges.

As the third point, he said the potential of cooperation among SCO members should be fully tapped. Members should work to facilitate customs clearance, quality inspection and transportation, innovate new cooperation models, study ways to establish an SCO regional e-commerce platform and conduct joint studies on agricultural cooperation, he said.

"We propose that non-resource sectors be identified as a new priority for the SCO's regional economic cooperation," the Chinese president said.

Fourth, Hu said the SCO should expand friendly exchanges and firm up the cultural foundation for the organization's development.

China suggests a meeting of health ministers to deepen the cooperation on the prevention and treatment of epidemic diseases and public health, the president said.

He also said China is ready to provide more teachers, textbooks and training opportunities for the teaching and study of the Chinese language in SCO member states.

Fifth, the president urged improvements in institutional building and the decision-making mechanism for the development of the organization.

"China supports the SCO in enhancing legal and institutional building in order to better facilitate practical cooperation among member states," he said.

Sixth, Hu suggested promoting transparency and inclusiveness to create a favorable environment for the development of the organization.

Founded in 2001, the SCO consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran are observers of the organization.

At the Tashkent summit, the leaders and participants exchanged views on the global and regional situation, coordinated strategies for combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, and discussed ways to expand inter-member economic cooperation and set up an SCO admission mechanism.

Participants of the summit approved the Tashkent Declaration, the SCO Rules of Procedure, the regulation on procedure for future membership expansion and other documents.

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