China strives for SCO development, FMs urge bigger UN role

China has always prioritized the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in its foreign policy and strived to boost the group's influence and healthy development.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward a five-point proposal at a ministerial meeting of the SCO here on Thursday, and reached consensus with his counterparts on UN reform, MH17 investigation and Iranian nuclear issue.

First of all, he said, SCO members should coordinate and cooperate closely to actively deal with the new threats and challenges in regional affairs and try to explore topics and ways of multilateral cooperation within the SCO framework.

Secondly, all SCO members should increase support to each other and boost unity and interaction, he said.

The countries should jointly guard the development path and political system they choose for themselves and help the SCO play a larger role in safeguarding sovereignty, security, development and other core interests of the member states, the Chinese top diplomat said.

Thirdly, SCO members should beef up cooperation in law enforcement and promote their capabilities to maintain stability, in particular, to enhance cooperation in intelligence sharing, personnel training, and fight against terror and drug trafficking, Wang said.

Fourthly, Wang called for deepening practical cooperation and overcoming the bottleneck of development.

He urged establishment of a fund-raising mechanism within the group and further facilitation of the traffic link among SCO members.

China welcomes participation of other SCO members in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt out of their own will, he said.

In addition, Wang urged SCO members to get ready for the group's expansion and open channels to absorb new members.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Wang met separately on Thursday with his Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek counterparts to discuss issues of common concern.

Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to maintain close bilateral strategic communication and coordination and promote cooperation in such areas as politics, economy and trade, energy and culture.

The two countries should strengthen cooperation within the framework of the SCO to build the organization into a community of shared interests and destiny, they said.

Both as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia should keep close communication on Afghanistan, Iranian and Korean Peninsula nuclear issues, and the Ukraine crisis, among other regional and international affairs, they added.

At a meeting with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev, the pair agreed that China and Kyrgyzstan should expand bilateral trade, strengthen and deepen cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, and security, and jointly push forward the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

While meeting with his Uzbek counterpart, Wang and Abdulaziz Kamilov agreed to greatly expand practical cooperation between their countries, including the construction of Line D of China-Central Asia gas pipelines.

On the other hand, China will host a joint anti-terror drill among SCO members on Aug. 24-29 in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in accordance with the 2014-2015 defense ministry cooperation plan among SCO members.

At the meeting, foreign ministers stressed that the United Nations should continue to play a major coordination role in international relations, adding that the SCO members support further enhancing the leading role of the UN Security Council in safeguarding world peace and security.

On the reform of the UN body, the foreign ministers suggested constructive consultations be carried out in search for a comprehensive solution, and the interests and concerns of all relevant parties be taken into consideration so as to reach the broadest consensus on the issue.

Reform schemes that are not endorsed by a majority of UN member states should not be thrusted, nor should any time limits be imposed, they said.

They also called for an open, fair and independent investigation into the MH17 crash and stressed that the investigation must be carried out in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2166.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, the foreign ministers agreed that the Joint Plan of Action reached last November in Geneva was an important step toward resolving the issue and enhancing mutual trust and understanding among relevant countries and in the region as a whole.

The ministers also approved the draft of the process of granting SCO member status.