Premier Li Keqiang headed the 14th meeting of the Prime Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Dec 15.

Premier Li started an in-depth discussion with the leaders about the new thinking and methods to tackle external risks and challenges and push for common development and prosperity.

Attending leaders and officials included Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov, Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Temir Sariyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Kokhir Rasulzoda, and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Azimov Rustam Sadikovich.

The Premier said SCO “has undergone an extraordinary experience”, consistently honoring the principles of equality, mutual trust, cooperation and win-win, and it has made an important contribution to boosting the well-being of its member states and safeguarding regional stability.

In July, President Xi Jinping attended a summit in Ufa, Russia, and, along with other leaders, approved the SCO Development Strategy until 2025. They charted the course for mid- and long-term cooperation, the membership expanding process was officially initiated and the organization itself entered a new phase of development, Premier Li said.

Premier Li noted that currently, the world economy lacks drivers for growth, many countries are faced with downward pressure from their economy, international and regional situations are witnessing increased complexities, new geopolitical crisis are being brewed, and the international community needs to address unprecedented global challenges.

As member states of SCO are located at the juncture of Eurasia, whether the region can achieve long-term tranquility “matters to the very interests and well-being of the people of various countries in the region and imposes profound influence upon the peace, stability, prosperity and development of the world,” Premier Li said.

China is ready to boost the link between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the development strategies of other SCO countries as well as its link with mechanisms such as the Eurasian Economic Union, in order to boost the region’s open, inclusive and shared development, Premier Li said.

While eyeing the three traditional fields - security, economy and culture- countries should strengthen six SCO cooperation platforms, Premier Li said.

They are: security cooperation, production capacity cooperation, connectivity, financial cooperation, regional trade cooperation, and social and livelihood-related cooperation platform. Countries should strive for substantial results from their friendly cooperation, PremierLi said.

It is believed that as long as all the parties continue to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, sail in the same boat in hard times and spare no efforts, the SCO cooperation in various fields will move on to a new level and usher in more well-being for people in all the countries, PremierLi said.

The attending leaders have commended the great influence of SCO, and they said it is of great significance to further deepen SCO’s pragmatic cooperation in the face of the new global political and economic challenges.

According to the leaders, all related parties of SCO are ready to boost solidarity and coordination, gear up the linking of development strategies, implement the consensus and initiatives that have been reached, give full play to cooperative mechanisms of all types, fully tap into the complementary strengths and potential for cooperation, reinforce connectivity and production capacity cooperation, expand cooperation in fields such as infrastructure construction, trade, finance and culture, and promote the commitment of respective economies and the prosperity of the region.