SCO member states should resolve disputes through dialogue: Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries should resolve their "disputes and differences" through dialogue and consultation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries should resolve their "disputes and differences" through dialogue and consultation. Addressing the SCO Heads of State virtual summit which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other SCO leaders, Xi said the SCO member countries are required to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit and deepen solidarity and collaboration.

"We should deepen solidarity and mutual trust, and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, so as to cement the political foundation for SCO development," he said. It was the first time that PM Modi and the Chinese President were sharing a platform since border stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in May. The two countries have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks over border tensions.

Asserting that COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated shifts in the international landscape, the Chinese president said that world is entering a period of turbulence and transformation where the international community now faces a major test with choices to be made between multilateralism and unilateralism, openness and seclusion, cooperation and confrontation. "People across the world have increasingly yearned for a better life. The trend toward peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit is unstoppable. History has proven and will continue to prove that good-neighbourliness will prevail over a beggar-thy-neighbour approach, mutually beneficial cooperation will replace zero-sum game, and multilateralism will beat unilateralism," he said.

Meanwhile addressing during the meet, PM Modi said it is important that the SCO member countries respect one another's "sovereignty and territorial integrity". "India has strong cultural and historical ties with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries...India believes that to enhance connectivity it is important that we move forward while respecting one another's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Modi said.

"It is unfortunate that there are unnecessary attempts to bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda, which is in violation of SCO Charter and Shanghai spirit," Modi said while addressing the 20th Summit of SCO Council of Heads of State. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)