SCO Prime Ministers Meeting Calls for Cooperation in Security, Production Capacity, and Connectivity

While the Trans-Atlantic nations are collapsing financially and economically, the Dec. 14-15 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Prime Ministers meeting at Zhengzhou, China, ended Tuesday with the Prime Ministers confirming their support for China’s Silk Road Economic Belt plan, and issuing a statement on regional economic cooperation, Xinhuareported. They expect the implementation of the initiative to promote gradual, sustainable economic growth and support peace and stability in the region.

Presiding over the summit, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed in his address to establish six platforms for cooperation among the member-nations, in areas including security, production capacity, and connectivity. The other three platforms he mentioned are financial cooperation, regional trade cooperation, and cooperation on social affairs and improving people’s lives. “China intends to replicate its industrial capacity cooperation with Kazakhstan with other SCO countries, and forge internationally competitive industrial cooperation chains,” Premier Li said.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the SCO, “Transport infrastructure is a key condition for the development of large business projects.” He also proposed widening the cooperation ambit of the bloc to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to the BRICS Post.

The leaders also agreed to develop an international transportation corridor of roads and railways. China has proposed a Eurasian connectivity to raise the efficiency of China-Europe freight trains. Commenting on the outcome of the summit, Gao Fei of China Foreign Affairs University told Xinhua, “The SCO members, seated in the core area of the ancient Silk Road, face great opportunities for cooperation with the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative underway.”