SCO members to boost cooperation

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is expected to become one of the fastest developing blocs in the world, a Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday ahead of a meeting bringing together prime ministers of SCO member states.

Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the 11th Prime Ministers' Meeting of the organization in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and co-host the 17th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers in Moscow from Dec 4 to 6.

"The SCO Prime Ministers' Meeting is held at a crucial time as members of the SCO face new challenges when the international situation becomes more complex and the risk of a world economic downturn accumulates," Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Cheng Guoping told reporters at a news briefing.

The meeting will stress pragmatic cooperation between China and countries in this region, especially in the economic and trade sectors, according to Cheng.

The SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan being observers.

Founded in 2001 in Shanghai, the bloc started as a security group, but in recent years economic cooperation among the members has been strengthened.

The members are expected to issue a list of measures after the meeting to promote economic and trade cooperation projects from 2012 to 2016, Cheng said.

A memorandum of understanding to strengthen protection of intellectual property rights and elevate the level of cooperation among their customs services is also expected to be signed by the members, Cheng said.

"The meeting will boost the confidence of SCO members and increase their cohesion and ability to resist risks from outside," Cheng said.

It will also bring together leaders from SCO member states, its observer states, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Community.

Since its establishment, the SCO has grown into a multilateral and multi-functional regional organization, said Yang Cheng, an expert on Russian studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai.

Now it's time for the organization to shift its priority to economic cooperation as a new breakthrough for future development, said Yang.

Wen will also pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Wen will meet Kyrgyz leaders and discuss ways to cement Sino-Kyrgyzstan ties and elevate cooperation, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.

He will then visit Russia and co-host the 17th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

The meeting serves as "a link between the past and future", said Cheng, as China concluded the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China earlier this month and it will be the first time Medvedev has hosted the meeting since assuming office as prime minister.

A series of bilateral cooperation agreements is expected to be singed between the two countries' government departments and companies, said Cheng.

China hopes to achieve new progress in bilateral pragmatic cooperation, including enlarging two-way investment, deepening energy cooperation in oil and gas, promoting high-tech cooperation and conducting more joint research, development and production, Cheng said.

Sino-Russian trade is expected to surpass $90 billion this year, which is very impressive against the backdrop of the current world economic situation, Cheng said.

Statistics show that in the first 10 months of this year, Sino-Russian trade reached $73.6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.4 percent.

Vice-Premier Wang Qishan will attend a meeting with delegates of China-Russia energy negotiations before the prime ministers' meeting.

Moscow and Beijing still have not reached an agreement on pricing to supply Russian natural gas to China.

Contact the writer at chengguangjin@chinadaily.com.cn