Chinese president urges further promotion of co-op among SCO members

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YEKATERINBURG, Russia, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to further promote cooperation in politics, economy, security, culture as well as with the observers.

In a speech delivered at the ninth summit of the SCO held in the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Hu called on the SCO members to strengthen political mutual trust. The high level of political mutual trust and strategic cooperation is a unique advantage of the SCO, Hu said.

"The SCO members should continue to implement the treaty of long-term neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, make use of the various levels and channels of meetings and negotiations to promote strategic dialogue, coordinate policy, gather consensus, and make efforts for common prosperity, regional peace and stability, and a more just, reasonable international political and economic system," Hu said.

The Chinese leader called on the SCO members to deepen economic cooperation. "The SCO members need to hold hands to jointly cope with the impact of the international financial crisis, and to push for the recovery of world economy," he said.

To realize this goal, Hu suggested SCO member states enhance coordination in macroeconomic and financial policies, expedite the implementation of energy, transportation, and telecommunication network programs, actively promote cooperation in new industries, push for more convenient trade, and protect an open and free environment for trade and investment.

He said member states should establish a financial dialogue mechanism, and strengthen multilateral cooperation in science and technology, in a bid to improve productivity through technological innovation.

Hu also proposed intensifying security cooperation. A just-signed document on anti-terrorism will enable the SCO members to jointly hunt for and repatriate criminal suspects, he said.