China’s Xi calls on SCO members to ‘seek common ground’
China on Monday called for greater unity among the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which include Russia, India, Iran and other non-NATO alligned countries.
“We should seek common ground while putting differences aside,” President Xi Jinping said at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.
Xi also warned against a Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation.
The Chinese president stressed that the SCO should take responsibility for ensuring peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.
He highlighted the organization’s achievements, including counter-terrorism cooperation and industrial investment, saying that the SCO’s members together generate an annual economic output of nearly $30 trillion.
Founded 24 years ago to promote security cooperation and economic ties, the SCO now has 10 member states: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran (since 2023) and Belarus (since 2024).
While the organization positions itself as a counterbalance to Western alliances, it has often struggled to present a united front on recent global conflicts and disputes.
China and India, for instance, have long disputed territories along their shared border, while India and Pakistan clashed in May following a terrorist attack.
