By Guo Jiping, People’s Daily
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the first intergovernmental organization initiated by China and named after a Chinese city. Since its founding in 2001, the SCO has followed the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit, forging a distinctive path of peaceful development and presenting a compelling model for building a new type of international relations.
The Shanghai Spirit, often described as the “root” and “soul” of the SCO, embodies the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development.
China, as the initiator of the Shanghai Spirit, has consistently integrated these principles in its actions. At the SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin, member states once again held high this banner, reaffirming their commitment to the organization’s original aspirations and advancing steadily toward building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Mutual trust and mutual benefit: the foundation of cooperation
The SCO traces its roots to the “Shanghai Five” mechanism, which was established upon two important agreements on confidence-building and mutual reduction of military forces in border areas.
Since its founding, the SCO has further consolidated this foundation by adopting two cornerstone documents – the SCO Charter and the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation – codifying into law a firm commitment to political trust and good-neighborly friendship.
At each SCO summit, leaders have deepened policy dialogue and coordination, respected each other’s core interests and legitimate concerns, addressed issues proactively, and provided steadfast strategic direction, setting a commendable example for bridging the global trust deficit.
Equality and consultation: the principle of engagement
From carrying forward the historical wisdom of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to promoting the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the emphasis on equality and consultation embedded in the Shanghai Spirit has distinguished the SCO as a pioneering model of international organization.
It rejects the hegemonic logic that “might makes right,” transcends outdated zero-sum thinking and the rhetoric of civilizational clashes, and upholds equal consultation, blazing a new path for the development of international organizations.
As former SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov observed, what sets the SCO apart is that the voice of each member state is heard equally, and all members strive to sit around a “round table without sharp corners,” seeking maximum common ground for shared development while safeguarding their national interests.
Respect for diversity of civilizations: a path of harmony and inclusiveness
Central to the Shanghai Spirit is a commitment to equality, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. It fosters peaceful coexistence and mutual enrichment, regarding mutual learning as the most solid foundation of SCO’s development and people-to-people connectivity as its strongest driving force.
By embracing openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning, regional countries have advanced the Global Civilizations Initiative and expanded cooperation in science and technology, education, arts, health, and tourism. These efforts respond to the aspirations of people for a more fulfilling cultural life and deeper connections.
Common development: a path to shared prosperity
The Shanghai Spirit resonates with the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, injecting fresh momentum into SCO’s development.
The organization’s share in the global economy continues to grow, and its contribution to world economic growth is steadily increasing. The Belt and Road Initiative is also aligning more closely with the development strategies and cooperation initiatives of regional countries, while connectivity projects are unleashing robust momentum for cooperation and creating pathways for high-quality, sustainable development.
Today, as changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, the international landscape is undergoing profound transformations, with regional conflicts flaring up one after another. Deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are growing even more pronounced.
By upholding the Shanghai Spirit, SCO countries stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, practice true multilateralism, and advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
As an important platform for solidarity and self-strengthening among the Global South, the SCO brings together tremendous strength to improve global governance and advance a community with a shared future for humanity.
Taking the SCO Tianjin Summit as a new starting point, the SCO will continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, illuminating the path toward an SCO community with a shared future and contributing greater stability and hope for development and progress to a world in turbulence and transformation.
