State Councilor Zhao Kezhi met with leading officials from four member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), on May 14 and 15, pledging to advance practical cooperation on law enforcement security.

He is in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, to attend the 14th meeting of SCO Security Council Secretaries.

While meeting with Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan Kalmukhanbet Kassymov, Zhao said President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC) maintained the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership relations.

He said he hopes the two sides can deepen law enforcement security cooperation in fields such as securing national safety, banning drugs and security work for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Kassymov congratulated China on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and expressed the willingness to strengthen bilateral law enforcement cooperation and push forward China- Kazakhstan relations.

During the meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of Uzbekistan Viktor Makhmudov, Zhao said China and Uzbekistan are good neighbors, and hoped the two sides can implement the consensus reached by President Xi and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the second BRFIC.

He said he hoped the two countries can deepen cooperation in securing national safety, cracking down on separatism, extremism and terrorism, and law enforcement, and securing peace and stability.

Makhmudov said Uzbekistan is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in law enforcement security under the SCO framework.

In a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Zhao said China-Russia ties have been scaling new heights. With 2019 marking the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, China is willing to beef up practical cooperation with Russia on safeguarding national security and wiping out separatism, extremism and terrorism. And China will continue to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on law enforcement.

Patrushev said that Russia is willing to step up strategic communication with China, enhance cooperation on law enforcement security, and continue to develop China-Russia relations.

While meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Tajikistan Mahmadali Vatanzoda, Zhao said that President Xi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held a fruitful meeting during the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

China is willing to carry out the consensus reached by the two leaders, step up communication and cooperation in various respects, and maintain security and stability of both countries as well as neighboring countries, in order to help China-Tajikistan ties forge ahead.

Vatanzoda said his country is willing to join efforts with China to ensure security in border areas and push forward cooperation on law enforcement.

Zhao also held talks with Additional Secretary of National Security Division of Pakistan Zafar Iqbal, and Pankaj Saran, deputy national security advisor of India.