The recent foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has made preparations for the SCO summit to be held in Shanghai in June. The overseas edition of People's Daily has published an analysis by Xing Guangcheng, a research fellow from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences about the cooperation in SCO.

The article says since its establishment five years ago, the SCO has been increasingly influential. This is because "cooperation" has been the core value embedded in the establishment and operation of a new type of regional organization.

It is the strong desire and willingness of the member states to address the common challenges of the region through cooperation that has led to the establishment of the organization. It is the concept of cooperation that has turned the Shanghai Five into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

One of the most important achievements that the SCO has made is that members within the framework of the SCO, formerly Shanghai Five, have successfully solved the lingering historical border issues between China and its bordering countries in the organization.

The concept of cooperation boosts the growth of the SCO. All the member states are fully aware of how effective and helpful that collaboration is. The concept is not only embodied in the name of the organization, but also embraced by the "Spirit of Shanghai": the principles of mutual trust and benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for the multifaceted cultures and aspiration to joint development.

Security and economic cooperation is described by politicians, diplomats and experts as "two wheels" that move the SCO on. Those are two major areas that the SCO members joint hands and share interests.

It is predictable that the SCO will have its cooperation to go beyond the security and economy and exploit realistic and potential possibilities as much as possible. Culture and education, science and technology, as well as transportation, to name just a few, all can be "wheels" to drive the SCO.

The more wheels there are, the higher prospect of vitality, flourish and stability that the SCO will have down the road.

The concept of cooperation of the SCO is not only carried out among its members, but also between SCO and other nations beyond SCO. By receiving "observers", the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has developed close partnership with Mongolia, India, Iran and Pakistan. By reinforcing contacts and communication, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has built extensive ties with other international organizations.

The focus on the cooperation has won SCO extensive attention worldwide. Many countries hope to be observers of the SCO and observers hope to be formal members of the SCO.

The future of the SCO lies on to what extent the commitment on cooperation will be further honored, to what extent the concept of cooperation will be further evolved, to what extent the power of cooperation will be unleashed and to what extent the boon of cooperation will be generated.

By People's Daily Online