China to host SCO security council secretaries meeting

China is to host the seventh session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) security council secretaries in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday.

The meeting, the first of this kind convened in China, is a very important event prior to the SCO summit to be held in the country this year.

According to a source with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the meeting will be chaired by Chinese State Councilor Meng Jianzhu and focus on issues including regional security and deepening security cooperation among the SCO member countries.

A draft version of an initiative concerning the security cooperation in 2012 will also be reviewed and formulated at the meeting.

Based on a system of leadership rotation, China acts as SCO president in 2012. It is focusing on coordinating with the group to improve their capacity to battle the "three evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism, plus drug trafficking and cross-border organized crimes, the source added.

There have already been six sessions of the secretaries meeting, heads of the SCO member countries deciding to establish the mechanism in 2004.

The SCO, founded on June 15, 2001, groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.