China’s Xi to attend virtual SCO regional meeting hosted by India

The Chinese side stated that at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend via video conference. (document)

Beijing:

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next week’s virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), hosted by India, it was officially announced on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference that at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing on July 4. Three meetings and delivered important speeches. release.

This is the first time Xi Jinping officially announced his participation in the SCO summit hosted by India.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has become one of the largest transregional international organizations.

The SCO was formed at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.

India holds the rotating presidency of the organization this year.

India on Tuesday inaugurated the beautifully designed New Delhi hall of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization secretariat in Beijing, ahead of its first summit under India’s presidency.

The six founding members of the SCO, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, all have their own halls, highlighting their respective cultures and characteristics, and India is the first to add its own hall.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar said in his speech that the New Delhi Hall is considered a mini India that showcases various aspects of Indian culture.

To give you a visual sense of the depth of Indian artistic traditions and cultural identity, the hall was designed with exquisite motifs and motifs representing the rich architectural craftsmanship found across India, he said.

Last year, the SCO summit was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and was attended by all of the organization’s top leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In September, India will host the G20 summit, which will include Xi Jinping and Putin, among other EU leaders.

The theme of the summit is “Towards a Safe SCO”.

SECURE, an acronym coined by Prime Minister Modi at the 2018 SCO summit, stands for Security; Economy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment.

These themes were highlighted during India’s presidency of the SCO.

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