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As the world’s largest international organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) encompasses nearly 3 billion people, accounting for one-third of the world’s population. Its total GDP exceeded $16 trillion after its first expansion in 2017.
The SCO Summit 2018 is scheduled to be held from June 9 to 10, attracting worldwide expectation about China’s role in the world as well as the future of the world.
People’s Daily offers you a guide to understand SCO with interviews with leading international relations experts who believe the SCO summit will promote a more impartial and open world.
"As we know, the world today is facing great challenges, it is widely believed that China now could resolve these uncertainties with its comprehensive national power and favorable philosophy. Therefore, China is at the right position to unite all member states to work together and contribute advanced solutions to the unstable world," said Liu Zhiqin, a senior fellow at Chong Yang Institute of Finance, Renmin University of China, in an exclusive interview with People’s Daily.
He pointed out that the peaceful situation in member states have been greatly maintained through nearly 20 years of efforts, which is China’s great contribution to the world. Besides, China could also unite with other member countries to deal with environmental issues and fulfil their commitments in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Liu noted that some western countries hold biases against the SCO, as they believed it is merely a China-led regional organization. Hence, the SCO members should continue to cooperate politically, economically and militarily to raise its international influence. In the international arena, the SCO should tighten connections with the European Union (EU) and World Trade Organization (WTO) to eliminate misunderstanding.
“The summit this year will become a milestone in the development of SCO, as countries will defend all together against worldwide conflicts and promote a more peaceful, harmonious and prosperous world,” said Liu.
