President Xi's proposals to the previous SCO and CICA summits

Chinese President Xi Jinping is leaving China for Central Asia, where he will visit Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Ahead of President Xi's attendance at these two increasingly influential multilateral events, it's worth looking back on the key proposals and initiatives President Xi has made at these platforms in previous years.

2013: Cooperation and self-improvement

President Xi first attended the SCO Summit in 2013. He made a series of detailed proposals, including the establishment of the SCO Development Bank and the Energy Club, and also a treaty to help facilitate commerce and investment.

At the meeting, he appealed for all of the participants to promote common development by carrying forward the "Shanghai Spirit". He called to consistently promote mutual trust between the member states and to carry out mutually beneficial work on the basis of equality, consultation, and respect, while following the trend of peace and development, so the interests and demands of the member states can be protected.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on September 13, 2013. [Photo: Xinhua]

2014: Building a community with a shared future

President Xi proposed building a community with a shared future among the member states in 2014, which was a key time for the development of the SCO. He made four proposals designed to help the SCO develop into an organization with more sophisticated mechanisms, wider cooperation, smoother collaboration, and greater openness to the world.

- Adhere to the responsibility of safeguarding regional peace and security;

- Stick to the goal of achieving common development;

- Promote people-to-people exchanges;

- Work on making the SCO more dynamic, with more exchanges with other parts of the world.

2015: The "Shanghai Spirit" should be more appealing to the people

The Shanghai Spirit is a set of fundamental principles for the SCO that encompass mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for the diversity of civilizations, and the pursuit of common development. The Shanghai Spirit, put forward by President Xi during the SCO Summit in 2015, represents the latest trend in the development of international relations, and should act as the tie that brings together a regional community with a shared future.

Xi Jinping said guided by the Shanghai Spirit, member countries should continue to stick to the principles of the SCO regarding international relations, safeguarding international equality and justice, proposing multilateralism and openness, respecting each other's benefits, avoiding interference in the internal affairs of other nations, solving disputes in peaceful ways, and promoting development and prosperity with a win-win philosophy.

2016: Keeping pace with the times and adjusting cooperation strategies

In 2016, President Xi made it clear that the SCO should keep itself closely aligned with the pace of the times. He said as the region faces an increasing number of comprehensive challenges, all of the member states should make a concerted effort. The member states need to firmly stick to the purpose and principles of the organization, and tightly grasp the overall trend of development. Meanwhile, the member states need to keep pace with the times and adjust the cooperation strategies in each field to make sure the organization remains full of vitality into the future.

2017: Openness and inclusiveness

The SCO expanded to include India and Pakistan as member states in 2017. This was the organization's first expansion. During the summit that year, President Xi emphasized that the SCO should adhere to approach of openness and inclusiveness. He said China supports the SCO undertaking various kinds of cooperation in every field with its observer states, dialogue partners, and other countries. China also endorses the SCO continuing its deep cooperation and exchanges with the United Nations and other international and regional organizations in pursuing lasting peace and common prosperity for the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosts the SCO Summit in Qingdao, China on June 10, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

2018: Building a community with a shared future within the SCO

The 2018 SCO Summit was held in Qingdao. The philosophy of "building a community with a shared future for humanity" was written into the Qingdao Declaration, and it became the most important political consensus and goal for the eight SCO member states.

At the Qingdao meeting, President Xi put forward his "Five Concepts" for the future development of the SCO.

- Development should be innovative, collaborative, green, and open;

- Security among the SCO members should be common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable;

- Cooperation should be open, connected, mutually beneficial, and win-win;

- There should be equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations;

- Global governance should be defined by wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a photo with the attendees of the SCO Summit in Qingdao, China on June 10, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

The CICA: Asian security and building a community with a shared future for Asia

China took the presidency of the CICA in 2014. That year at the CICA Summit in Shanghai, President Xi proposed that Asian countries establish a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable concept of regional security.

He stressed that the problems of Asia, including problems of security, should be shouldered by Asian people, and that Asian people have the capacity and wisdom to make peace and stability in Asia a reality by strengthening cooperation.

The 4th CICA Summit is held in Shanghai, China on May 20, 2014. [Photo: Xinhua]

In 2016 at the opening of the CICA Meeting of Foreign Ministers, President Xi proposed the construction of a model of security governance with Asian characteristics. He also welcomed countries outside Asia to contribute to the continent's peaceful development.