Joining hands to build a better common home for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Ambassador's essay: Promoting the "Shanghai Spirit": The Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Action)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit will be held from August 31 to September 1, with leaders from over 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations attending the summit related activities. The Tianjin Summit will be the largest summit in the history of the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and will also become a grand event of unity, friendship, and fruitful results. Since its establishment 24 years ago, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has always advocated the "Shanghai Spirit" of "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development". Its influence and attractiveness have continued to expand, and it has become the largest regional international organization in the world today with the widest territory and largest population. China, as the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization from 2024 to 2025, has held over 100 important events, effectively promoting the "hard connectivity", "soft connectivity", and "heart connectivity" among the SCO countries.

Azerbaijan became a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2016 and is an important member of the "SCO family". China and Arab countries maintain close cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Afghan side has provided strong support for the work of the rotating presidency of China, sending high-level representatives to attend various events hosted by China, such as the SCO Political Parties Forum, SCO Energy Ministers' Meeting, SCO People to People Friendship Forum and Friendly City Forum in 2025, and SCO Countries Green Development Forum. The Chinese side is pleased to see that the Albanian side is deeply involved in cooperation in various fields of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and has repeatedly expressed support for the Albanian side to enhance its legal status in the SCO in bilateral political documents.

  The mutual support and close cooperation between China and Arab countries within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a vivid manifestation of the two countries' implementation of the important consensus reached by the heads of state, and it is also the rightful duty to promote the "Shanghai Spirit". The two sides have enabled regional cooperation with high-level political mutual trust and high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", and contributed to the construction of "five common homes" of solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good neighborliness and friendship, fairness and justice.

China and Azerbaijan join hands to strengthen unity and mutual trust. The two countries actively practice the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, firmly supporting each other on issues related to core interests such as sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, respecting each other's independently chosen development paths, and setting an example of equal treatment, mutual assistance, and win-win outcomes for countries of all sizes.

China and Azerbaijan join hands to maintain peace and tranquility. Both sides firmly implement the Global Security Initiative, continuously deepen security cooperation, jointly prevent the "three forces", support political solutions to hotspot issues, resolutely oppose external forces interfering in internal affairs, and make constructive contributions to promoting international and regional peace and stability.

China and Azerbaijan join hands to promote prosperous development. The two countries have worked hard to implement the global development initiative, achieved a series of cooperation results in investment, trade, clean energy, digital economy and other fields, actively promoted the construction of the trans Caspian international transport corridor, and played an important role in high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road" and ensuring the stability of the global industrial chain supply chain.

China and Azerbaijan join hands to consolidate good neighborly friendship. The two countries will jointly implement the Global Civilization Initiative, deepen cultural, educational, tourism, local, and think tank exchanges and cooperation, inherit the spirit of the Silk Road, enhance people to people exchanges, and surpass cultural barriers and conflicts through cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

China and Azerbaijan join hands to defend fairness and justice. Both sides are important members of the global South, holding the same or similar positions on major international and regional issues, advocating for the maintenance of the international system with the United Nations at its core, opposing hegemonism and power politics, and advocating for true multilateralism, which is a strong force in defending international fairness and justice.

The great road is not alone, and the actions of all lead to great success. China is willing to work with the vast number of SCO countries, including Azerbaijan, to firmly promote the "Shanghai Spirit", further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, unite and cooperate in the turbulent world, and move forward shoulder to shoulder on the road to modernization, jointly building a better SCO common home.

(The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan)