Opinion

A tour of significance

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-13 08:54

President Hu Jintao began a three-nation tour on Sunday, which will take him to Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. He is also scheduled to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Kazakh capital Astana, and the 15th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

Hu's visit will help take China's relations with the three countries to a new level. His attendance at the SCO summit will have a far-reaching influence on the regional bloc's healthy growth and contribute to peace and common development in the region.

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Bilateral ties between China and Kazakhstan have been growing rapidly in recent years, with the trade volume more than $20 billion in 2010. During Hu's visit, the two sides are expected to expand their fields of cooperation from trade, finance and energy to other areas including culture, tourism and health.

Beijing and Moscow now enjoy a close and dynamic relationship. Hu's visit to Russia will deepen strategic mutual trust between them and expand the scope of mutual support in the international arena. The two leaders are also expected to chart the future for bilateral ties.

As for Hu's Ukraine trip, the first in 10 years by a Chinese president, it will be a milestone in bilateral ties. The two countries are expected to sign a series of cooperative deals in trade and upgrade their relations to a strategic partnership.

The upcoming Astana SCO summit will be another attention-grabbing event. With the world undergoing drastic changes now, how the organization will map out the blueprint for its development in the next decade will have both regional and global significance.

Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the regional bloc, which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has emerged as an indispensable force maintaining regional and world peace, stability and development.

The Astana summit will be a venue for member states to build consensus and consolidate solidarity. After the gathering, China will hold the rotating chair of the SCO from June until May 2012. To ensure a better development of the SCO, Hu is expected to outline China's proposals for cementing good neighborliness and friendship among member states.

Security cooperation has been an eye-catching achievement. China will take advantage of the rotating presidency to boost the security and law-enforcement cooperation, in an effort to fight the three evils forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism. We have reasons to believe the SCO will continue to thrive and will better position itself for responding to regional and world challenges.

(China Daily 06/13/2011 page8)