How Xi pushes for building common home of peace for SCO

BEIJING - The blue glass of the futuristic facade of the Palace of Independence shone in the sunlight when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders arrived in Astana in July last year for their annual gathering.

In his speech delivered at the group's first-ever "SCO Plus" Meeting, President Xi Jinping called for building a more beautiful home of the SCO, with building "a common home of peace and tranquility" among the five priorities.

The SCO was born more than two decades ago when the acute security challenges of terrorism, separatism and extremism -- the "three evil forces" -- were posing menacing threats in Central Asia and neighboring areas. Since its founding in 2001, the group has maintained safeguarding regional security as a mainstay of collaboration.

"Security is a prerequisite for national development, and safety is the lifeline to happiness of the people," Xi said in Astana.

For years, the Chinese leader has championed strengthening security cooperation to provide lines of defense for SCO members. At the SCO Dushanbe Summit in 2014, Xi proposed to negotiate and sign the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism. The convention was signed by member states in Astana in 2017.