Full coverage: President Xi Visits 3 Nations, Attends SCO Summit

Wednesday is the 15th anniversary of Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It has grown into an important mechanism for maintaining regional stability and promoting the development of member states.

The SCO was established in 2001 with six member countries - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It now has a further 12 observer states and dialogue partners. The population of the 18 countries involved accounts for 45 per cent of the world total. It promotes cooperation between member states on a wide range of issues, including security, economy and culture.

Security is one the main focuses of the SCO’s work.