Thu, June 07, 2012
Sina English
China has denied the speculations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) evolving into NATO style military and political bloc as the two-day annual summit to be concluded today with calls to counter terrorism and beef up regional stability.
Discounting reports likening the SCO to an eastern NATO, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said that the charter of the SCO determined its nature of non-alliance, non-confrontation, not targeting at any third country or organization and openness to outside parties.
Liu told a media briefing here the robust development of the SCO lies in its quest for a new model of partnership for regional organization, which conforms to the current trend of peace and development.
The SCO, a security forum was founded in Shanghai in June 2001, currently has six full members -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India are four observer states and its dialogue partners include Belarus and Sri Lanka.
