Speech affirms commitment to peace

SCO remarks a reiteration of Beijing's adherence to multilateralism: Experts

President Xi Jinping's speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization virtual summit is a powerful reiteration of China's commitment to peace, multipolarity, multilateralism and the principles of the United Nations Charter, global experts have said.

In his Tuesday address, Xi emphasized the importance of member states enhancing strategic communication and coordination, resolving differences through dialogue, promoting cooperation instead of competition, showing genuine respect for each other's core interests and major concerns, and providing firm support for each other's efforts toward development and rejuvenation.

Inspired by Xi's address, Jalal Bazwan, a lecturer at the Kabul-based Kardan University, told Xinhua News Agency: "Xi's speech highlights China's proactive role in global security and its commitment to regional stability."

Referring to the Afghan issue as an example, Bazwan said that China has been playing a constructive role in addressing regional issues and "supporting long-term stability through political negotiations".

Benyamin Poghosyan, chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Armenia, said that Xi's proposals forging closer SCO partnerships "align with the interests and aspirations of people from various countries", demonstrate China's responsible role as a major country, and contribute to regional and global peace and development.

Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran's official news agency IRNA, saw the SCO as an excellent example of common growth and development.

"China has proved that it is trying its best to use its huge abilities to bring common development to the whole nations simply because it believes it can achieve more development if other nations could develop together," Manafi added, noting China's approach as "real multilateralism".

Crucial initiatives

He believed that China's global initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, are crucial to address regional and global challenges.

Tulanbay Kurbanov, an Uzbek expert on international relations, spoke highly of the BRI.

Thanks to the initiative, the infrastructure, and trade and economic ties among Asian, European and African countries are becoming further interconnected, Kurbanov said.

As the BRI heads into a new decade, Xi's call for further coordination between the BRI and the development strategies of relevant countries will become a unifying force among regional countries and a cause for further global development, Kurbanov added.

Carlos Martinez, co-editor of Friends of Socialist China, a London-based platform, said the speech demonstrated a dramatic contrast between "China's policy of peace and the US' policy of hegemonism".

"Whereas the United States has reimposed crippling (and illegal) sanctions on Iran, China and the other countries of the SCO are welcoming Iran as a full member, increasing cooperation on economic development, environmental protection, trade, agriculture, technology and security challenges," said Martinez, referring to Iran's entry into the SCO.

Iran on Tuesday officially became a full member state of the SCO, marking a significant moment in the country's international relations. The move was announced by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he headlined the summit.

Martinez said that whereas the US is expanding the NATO military bloc, and forming new military alliances such as AUKUS and the Quad, China has proposed the Global Security Initiative, based on the principle of common security, and strongly opposes any new Cold War or camp-based confrontation.

Also in contrast to US attempts to use dollar hegemony to impose its will on other countries, Xi calls for the SCO to oppose unilateral sanctions, scale up local currency settlement between member states, expand cooperation on sovereign digital currency, and create an SCO development bank, said the scholar.

Xinhua, Chen weihua in Brussels and Zhao Ruinan in Beijing contributed to this story.