TIANJIN, Aug 31: Chinese President Xi Jinping is holding intensive bilateral meetings with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where he has underscored the importance of friendship, practical cooperation and multilateralism.
The summit, from August 31 to September 1, marks the fifth time China has hosted the event and will be the largest in the organization’s history. Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will gather in the port city to review the SCO’s achievements, chart its future course and push forward toward building a closer SCO community with a shared future.
Emphasizing long-standing friendships
Since Saturday, Xi has been holding bilateral meetings with visiting foreign leaders, highlighting the importance of enduring ties and friendship.
When meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Xi said China and Egypt should be good brothers, firmly supporting each other. Madbouly, in turn, praised China as Egypt’s true partner and friend, adding that Egypt is ready to further develop its bilateral relations.
Meeting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Xi hailed the “ironclad” China-Cambodia friendship, saying the bilateral friendship has stood the test of time, is rock-solid and a shared asset of the two peoples.
In talks with Myanmar’s Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, Xi noted that the “pauk-phaw” friendship between the two peoples is deeply rooted and ever fresh.
Xi also spoke highly of the China-Nepal friendship when meeting with Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. He said that China and Nepal, as close neighbors for generations, have jointly written a chapter of good-neighborliness and friendship over the past seven decades.
Expanding practical cooperation
Cooperation was another recurring theme in Xi’s meetings.
In talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi urged closer alignment of development strategies and deeper cooperation in energy, infrastructure and policies. With Egypt, he called for greater synergy between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Egypt’s “Vision 2030,” emphasizing cooperation in joint manufacturing and green energy. Xi also highlighted two China-Cambodia joint projects: the Industrial and Technological Corridor (ITC) and the Fish and Rice Corridor (FRC), in talks with Hun Manet.
From the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Egypt to Cambodia’s ITC and FRC, from the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor to enhanced connectivity with Nepal, China’s BRI remains the central thread linking China’s cooperation with SCO partners.
Over the past five years, trade between China and other SCO members has surged, hitting a record $512.4 billion in 2024. A recent CGTN poll showed that over 85 percent of respondents in SCO countries believe China’s BRI has achieved remarkable results in promoting connectivity and high-quality development among SCO member states.
Upholding multilateralism and the correct view of WWII history
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. In a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Xi stressed that multilateralism, solidarity, and cooperation are the right answer to global challenges.
He reaffirmed China’s commitment to genuine multilateralism and its support for the UN’s central role in international affairs, adding that China is willing to deepen cooperation with the UN and jointly safeguard world peace and promote development and prosperity.
Xi and other SCO leaders are expected to issue a statement marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations at the Tianjin summit. According to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the statement will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to a correct view of history, uphold the hard-won fruits of WWII, and call on nations to learn from the past in building a better future.
