Beijing Ready to Deepen Security Cooperation With All SCO States

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China is ready to deepen security cooperation with all Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said on Tuesday.

"China is ready to continuously deepen law enforcement and security cooperation together with other parties to guarantee the social and economic development of each country," Li Keqiang said during the SCO Council of Heads of Government.

The prime minister also reiterated that it was necessary to create an open and global economy and simplify procedures for international trade and investment.

The SCO high-level summit took place on November 1 via videolink and was focused on reviewing implementation of decisions reached at the previous meeting.

The latest SCO summit was held in the Uzbek city of Samarkand from September 15-16, resulting in the signing of 42 documents. In particular, Iran signed a memorandum of obligations with the SCO, paving the way for the country to join the organization. A document was also signed concerning the beginning of the procedure for the accession of Belarus.

The SCO is an international organization founded by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan in 2001. In 2017, India and Pakistan were admitted to the organization. SCO observer countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, while the partner countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.