Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi submitted in Bishkek on Monday China's proposals to promote the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

 

Yang is in the Kyrgyz capital for the SCO's foreign ministers meeting, which forms part of the preparations for the upcoming SCO summit in the city in mid-August.

 

On the security front, member states of the SCO should speed up work on drafting an anti-terror pact and enhance their ability to jointly fight terrorism. Deals on anti-drug cooperation should be implemented effectively and a cooperation mechanism established, the minister said.

 

On the economic front, legal foundations for trade and investment cooperation should perfected. Deals on investment protection and transportation facilities and joint projects on energy and telecommunications should be advanced along the agenda, according to Yang.

 

On the cultural front, the six nations should deepen their cooperation on education, disaster relief, youth exchanges and healthcare, Yang said.

 

The six members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, should also intensify their contact with countries which enjoy SCO observer status and other regional or international organizations. Cooperation in various fields with Afghanistan, in particular, should be strengthened, the minister said.

 

Joint efforts should be made to boost the SCO's secretariat and its anti-terror mechanism in order to make them play a more important role in promoting cooperation in security, economy, culture and foreign affairs among the organization's member states, Yang said.

 

Achieving peace and development in Central Asia depends on solidarity and cooperation among countries in the region. China will join hands with other member states in making its due contribution to the region's peace, prosperity and harmony, the Chinese minister said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2007)