BEIJING, June 3 -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Tuesday called for strengthening financial cooperation among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to give strong impetus to the development of regional countries.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a group meeting with foreign representatives attending a meeting of the SCO member states' finance ministers and central bank chiefs.

Ding said that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a series of important suggestions and measures for jointly building a more beautiful home of the SCO at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" meeting last year in Astana.

China is willing to take its rotating presidency of the SCO as an opportunity and work with other member states to prioritize development, strengthen financial cooperation, expand the local currency settlement, promote digital inclusive finance, and actively work for the establishment of an SCO development bank, Ding said.

Speaking on behalf of the foreign side, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev spoke highly of the work carried out by China as the rotating chair of the SCO, and expressed the willingness to collaborate with the Chinese side to uphold the "Shanghai Spirit" and promote regional prosperity and development.