On May 22, 2010, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan and delivered a speech.

Yang said that the SCO has stood the tests and maintained the momentum of healthy and stable development against the complex and fluctuating international and regional situation since last year. Solidarity and mutual trust within the organization is further strengthened and members support each other firmly on major core issues; pragmatic cooperation is deepened and members have gradually lifted the region out of the international financial crisis and move in the direction of recovery by reinforcing regional economic cooperation; security cooperation goes deeper and the anti-terrorism, drug control, fight against cross-nation organized crimes and security cooperation on major events are fairly fruitful; external exchanges remain dynamic with ever expanding international influence.

He noted that the uncertain and unstable factors in the international situation are clearly on the rise at present and it still takes time for the world economy to completely recover. The “three forces” in the region threaten the security and stability of regional members. The SCO must unswervingly implement the important consensuses reached by the heads of state of members on the development of the organization, effectively cope with emerging threats and challenges, maintain the fundamental interest of the organization and its members and play a bigger role in protecting security and stability and promoting harmonious development in the region.

He expressed the Chinese side’s proposals on strengthening the SCO in the following aspects: first, step up policy coordination and improve strategic collaboration. Members should consolidate solidarity and mutual trust on the issues concerning their core interest of sovereignty, security and development following the spirit of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of SCO Members; second, deepen security cooperation and maintain regional stability. Greater efforts should be made to crack down on the “three forces”, improve the models of security cooperation on major international events and hold various anti-terrorism exercises; third, expand economic cooperation and boost regional development. Members should formulate and implement the regional connectivity strategy, strengthen infrastructure construction, accelerate trade and investment facilitation and deepen cooperation in such fields as finance, transportation, energy, communications and agriculture in order to get rid of the negative impact of the international financial crisis as soon as possible. President Hu announced that China will provide US$10 billion of credit for the SCO members at the Yekaterinburg summit and the Chinese side will try its best to make use of the credit with the utmost sincerity.

The meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers exchanged views and reached wide consensuses on the major international and regional issues as well as on how to consolidate Central Asia stability and security, further raise the international status and influence of the SCO and broaden its exchanges with other multilateral organizations.

After the meeting, Yang and his counterparts of other SCO members signed the Joint Declaration on SCO/UN Secretariat Cooperation.

On the same day, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov collectively met with the foreign ministers attending the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO. Karimov extended congratulations on the positive results of the meeting and noted that his country will make joint efforts with all parties concerned to ensure the success of the SCO Tashkent summit.