Daily Times

BEIJING: Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held a meeting with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Pervez Khattak to exchange views on bilateral and military to military relations.

During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 18th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defense of Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) Member States held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the two sides also discussed international and regional situation as well as counter-terrorism cooperation, according to China Military Online here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, addressing the SCO meeting, the Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said that over the past 20 years since the establishment of the SCO, under the promotion of the heads of SCO member states and the strong guidance of the “Shanghai spirit,” defense departments of all the member states have been continuously strengthening strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation.

He said that the SCO has become an important and constructive force in international and regional affairs.

All member States should maintain close communication and exchange, improve cooperation mechanisms, deepen cooperation in professional fields, innovate cooperative modes under the pandemic situation, and strive to create a security pattern of co-building and sharing, making greater contributions to the construction of a community with a shared future for the SCO, he added.

Wei Fenghe said that the present world is far from being peaceful when the global pandemic is interwoven with changes unseen in a century, at this critical moment, the international community should unite closely and support each other, jointly resist hegemonism, unilateralism and interventionism, and meanwhile, safeguard and pursue true multilateralism, share responsibilities, stay together to meet challenges and overcome difficulties.

At present, the situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes and regional security risks are on the rise, the SCO member countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation, jointly prevent and combat the extremism, separatism and terrorism, so as to build a strong regional security barrier, Wei said.

This July, China has just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Under the firm leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has now completed the building of a moderately prosperous society, and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is in an irreversible historical process, said Wei.

China is committed to maintaining world prosperity and stability, and China’s development will for sure benefit mankind and the world. China has never bullied any other country and will never allow any foreign force to bully us, and will never compromise on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and the South China Sea, the Chinese people are determined, confident and assured to withstand all external pressures, overcome all risks and challenges, and firmly safeguard China’s core interests, he added.

At the meeting, the defense ministers of SCO countries spoke highly of the achievements of SCO in maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting defense and security cooperation over the past 20 years since its establishment, decided to continue to strengthen communication, build consensus and expand cooperation, so as to create favorable conditions for the sustainable development of SCO.

All parties also stressed that they should actively support the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, fight against terrorists and strive to maintain regional security and stability.