Beijing, August 30 — Topic: Understanding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization through the Proverbs and Quotations Cited by Xi Jinping

The 2025 SCO Summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. Chinese President Xi Jinping will join more than 20 foreign leaders and heads of 10 international organizations by the Haihe River to chart a blueprint for development.

At previous SCO summits, Xi has repeatedly skillfully quoted proverbs and sayings from member states—simple yet profound—to elaborate on the “way of harmony and unity.”

On the evening of August 14, an aerial photo captures the nighttime view of the Tianjin Eye Ferris wheel and the themed lighting on buildings along the Haihe River. This year, Tianjin has optimized and upgraded the nighttime lighting on buildings, bridges, docks, and other scenic spots along the 8.2-kilometer riverbank in preparation for the 2025 SCO Summit. (Drone photo)

—— “Where there is unity, happiness will surely follow”

In June 2017, at the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States, Xi Jinping quoted the Kazakh proverb, “Where there is unity, happiness will surely follow,” advocating that the SCO maintain its fine tradition of unity and cooperation, with close integration between old and new members, deepened political mutual trust, and increased mutual support.

Unity and cooperation have been key to the SCO’s success. Despite differences in religious beliefs, institutional models, and development paths among member states, the SCO seeks common ground while reserving differences, making the concept of unity and cooperation more deeply rooted among its members.

Xi has repeatedly described the growing SCO as a “big family.” Since its establishment in 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members to 26 countries, becoming the world’s largest regional international organization by area and population. This fully demonstrates that the SCO is not an exclusive “small circle” but an open and inclusive “big family.”

Guided by the “Shanghai Spirit,” the SCO has united in cooperation, comprehensively advancing collaboration in six major areas: politics, security, economy, culture, external exchanges, and institutional building, setting an example for building a new type of international relations.

Since assuming the SCO rotating presidency in July 2024, China has designed over 110 important activities covering various fields, making the SCO’s security cooperation more effective, its development momentum stronger, and its institutional building more complete. This has also greatly promoted “hard connectivity,” “soft connectivity,” and “people-to-people connectivity” among member states, accelerating the transformation of the beautiful vision of “happiness following unity” into reality.

—— “With peace, a nation prospers”

“With peace, a nation prospers; with rain and dew, the land flourishes.” In September 2022, at the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States, Xi Jinping skillfully quoted this Uzbek proverb to illustrate the dialectical relationship between peace, security, development, and prosperity.

Security is the prerequisite for development. Without security, development is impossible. Looking back to the early days of the SCO, the “three evil forces” of terrorism, separatism, and extremism posed serious threats to regional security and stability. It was precisely based on shared security concerns that the SCO was established. Xi proposed a “zero tolerance” attitude toward the “three evil forces,” emphasizing the need to work together to combat them.

Over more than two decades since its founding, the SCO’s security cooperation has expanded from combating the “three evil forces” to areas such as defense security, drug control, and anti-money laundering, with cooperation content continuously enriched. Meanwhile, member states regularly conduct bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism exercises, exchange security intelligence, and established the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, playing a significant role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

In today’s world of change and turmoil, with complex and severe security challenges, Xi has repeatedly elaborated on China’s security philosophy at SCO summits. The Asian security concept proposed in 2014 was incorporated into the Dushanbe Declaration, making “common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security” an important

Haihe River

The Haihe River is a major waterway in northern China, historically formed through centuries of hydraulic engineering to control flooding and improve transportation. It flows through Tianjin and into the Bohai Sea, and its basin has been a vital economic and cultural hub for the region since ancient times. Today, its revitalized waterfront is a popular recreational area.

Tianjin Eye Ferris wheel

The Tianjin Eye is a 120-meter tall Ferris wheel built over the Yongle Bridge, spanning the Hai River. It was completed in 2008, making it the only such wheel in the world to be constructed over a bridge. It has since become a major modern landmark and tourist attraction for the city of Tianjin.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a major Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance originally founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian nations. It emerged from earlier border talks in the 1990s and has since expanded its membership and scope to promote cooperation on regional security, counter-terrorism, and economic development among its member states.

SCO Summit

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a major Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance. It was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, building upon a previous border security agreement from the 1990s. The annual SCO Summit is a meeting of its member states’ heads of government to discuss and formulate the organization’s policies and objectives.

Shanghai Spirit

The “Shanghai Spirit” is not a physical place but a political concept born from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was founded in Shanghai in 2001. It encapsulates the organization’s core principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, and respect for diverse civilizations. This ethos guides the SCO’s work in promoting regional cooperation and security among its member states.

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is a permanent body of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), established in 2004 to promote cooperation among member states on security issues. Based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, its primary purpose is to coordinate efforts and share intelligence to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism in the region.

Dushanbe Declaration

The Dushanbe Declaration is not a place or cultural site, but a significant political agreement. It was adopted in 1992 at a summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by leaders of several former Soviet republics to formally end the Tajik Civil War. The declaration aimed to establish a ceasefire and initiate a national reconciliation process.

three evil forces

I am not familiar with a specific place or cultural site known as the “three evil forces.” This term is not a recognized name for a historical monument, landmark, or cultural heritage site. Could you please provide more context or check the name for any possible spelling errors?