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Hu to attend SCO, BRIC summits in Russia in mid-June

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-09 14:14

BEIJING -- Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Russia June 14-18 to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the first meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) leaders in Yekaterinburg.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang also said here Tuesday that Hu will also pay state visits to Slovakia and Croatia during June 18-20.

Hu's visits to the three nations are at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic and Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.

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The SCO summit is the ninth of its kind. The SCO, a regional organization founded in 2001 in Shanghai, includes China, Russia and four central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The regional organization also has four observers, namely Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran.

SCO leaders are expected to discuss counter-measures for tackling the financial crisis as well as expanding inter-member economic cooperation.

Another noteworthy event held in Yekaterinburg, a major city situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, is the first official meeting of BRICs.

The term, coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2003, refers to the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The first meeting of BRIC leaders, scheduled for June 16, will cover a wide range of issues including the world situation, a global financial system, the financial crisis, energy cooperation and environmental protection, Brazilian Ambassador to China Clodoaldo Hugueney said at a Xinhua seminar June 8.

BRICs account for 42 percent of the world's population, 14.6 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 12.8 percent of the global trade volume in 2008.