DUSHANBE, Oct. 20 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday delivered a speech at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

The following is the full text of the speech:

Remarks by H.E. Li Qiang

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

At the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government

Of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Dushanbe, October 20, 2026

Your Excellency Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda,

Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to join you in the beautiful city of Dushanbe. I would like to thank Prime Minister Rasulzoda and the government of Tajikistan for the meticulous preparations and thoughtful arrangements for this meeting.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the beginning of the implementation of the SCO development strategy for the next decade. The Bishkek Summit in September produced a series of important outcomes, which has enabled us to take our work forward on multiple fronts and added new momentum to peace and development in our region and beyond. That said, our world today is far from tranquil. Factors of instability and uncertainty are still on the rise. As President Xi Jinping pointed out at the Bishkek Summit, at such a crossroads with humanity's future at stake, the SCO should step forward to shoulder its historical responsibility and steer the course for the future. What should we do to undertake such a responsibility? In my view, SCO members should, at the conceptual level, build greater consensus in vision, philosophy and way of thinking, and at the practical level, be more effective in execution and operation.

At the conceptual level, we should have a clear understanding of some fundamental questions and stay sober-minded and clear-eyed. First, we should have a keen insight into the overarching trend. Currently in the world, different ideas are contending and even clashing with each other. In particular, some narratives that cling to the zero-sum mindset and clamor for power politics are gaining traction. Despite this, the underlying logic of history and the fundamental trend of the times will not change. Multipolarity and economic globalization represent the future, and multilateralism and free trade remain the shared popular aspiration. Second, we should have a grand vision that embraces the world. All countries live in the same global village, and share the same future. The interests of a country or a region can only be better realized, preserved and advanced when they are in harmony with the common interests of the international community. The SCO should continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit. We should work to promote stability and prosperity in our region and at the same time contribute our share to the common development of the world. Third, we should have the perseverance to forge ahead. SCO members share the aspiration of promoting friendship, ensuring security and pursuing development, but the realization of this vision will not be smooth sailing. There will be risks, challenges, and even disruptions and sabotage, which makes it all the more important for the SCO to stay the course, remain closely united, and forge ahead with fortitude.

At the practical level, we should strengthen coordination and adopt a pragmatic and innovative approach to keep improving our relevant working mechanisms. China is ready to work with fellow member states to push for higher-quality development of the SCO. First, the SCO should boost the efficiency of its operation. Taking the opportunity provided by the amendment of the SCO Charter, members should implement a package of organizational reform, increase resources input and enhance capacity building, optimize the cooperation mechanisms in all areas and at all levels, and improve and expand the functions of the permanent bodies including the Secretariat, so as to make the SCO better structured and its operation more efficient. China is ready to step up coordination with all parties to put in place the institutional frameworks of the four security centers as soon as possible, and lay a solid foundation for their high-standard operation. Second, the SCO should strive for concrete and robust outcomes in cooperation projects. Only when consensus and plans are translated into specific cooperation projects can their value be truly released and shared by all parties. We should put greater emphasis on development and people's livelihood, implement a number of priority cooperation projects in such areas as trade, energy, and digital and green development, and strive for concrete outcomes at an early date. China stands ready to build the branches of the Demonstration Base for Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training with relevant countries and provide funding for 1,000 medical workers from member countries to study in China via the China-SCO Cooperation Center for Metabolic Diseases, so as to continuously enhance the well-being of people in our region. Third, the SCO should lead by example. Through its participation in international and regional affairs, the SCO has accumulated rich experience and shown the Shanghai Spirit to the world. We should strengthen dialogue and coordination with the U.N., BRICS, the Eurasian Economic Union, ASEAN, and other multilateral institutions, encourage all parties to jointly implement the four global initiatives and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

In recent years, there have been increasingly stronger calls for enhancing multilateralism and reforming and improving global governance in the international community. During the Bishkek Summit, leaders had in-depth discussions on building a multipolar world and reached important consensus, demonstrating the SCO's sense of responsibility of our times. Under the current circumstances, the SCO should bring together more international partners and shoulder its responsibility on the global stage. In doing so, it is crucial to lay greater stress on seeking common ground and resolving differences, so as to pool wisdom and strength to the largest extent.

First, the SCO should enhance economic and trade cooperation based on different endowments. Countries vary in resources, technology and market. That is no obstacle to cooperation, but an advantage for complementarity. The SCO should further promote regional economic integration, work to build an open global economy and turn differences of endowment into drivers for win-win results. We need to step up connectivity of markets and industries. It's important to enhance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, oppose building walls or creating barriers, and keep global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded. All parties are welcome to join the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Mining and Minerals, boost digital trade and investment cooperation, and jointly build the Pilot Zone for Silk Road E-commerce Cooperation and the Smart Customs Cooperation Partnership. We need to build stable and resilient international transportation corridors. It's important to strengthen the building of Arctic waterways and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, and actively develop multimodal transport, so as to enhance transport capacity and grow industries along the routes. Participation in the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents enables better leverage of the transnational land logistics corridor.

Second, the SCO should pursue common interests among different needs. Countries differ in national condition and naturally have differences regarding interests and needs. The key to handling the differences lies in mutual respect and equal consultation, which enables a joint endeavor in the same direction to seek the broadest common ground. The SCO should encourage all parties to focus on common interests, replace confrontation and estrangement with dialogue and inclusion, seek viable solutions, and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. Amidst increasing attention on energy security in the international community, SCO countries should work together in producing and supplying traditional energy, and at the same time accelerate green and low-carbon transition. Joint efforts in building the China-SCO Energy Cooperation Platform and the China-SCO Platform for Green Industry Cooperation and sharing their benefits could help expand cooperation in such areas as green energy, new-type energy storage and digital grid.

Third, the SCO should promote coexistence and harmony among different cultures. The history of human development is also one of the development of diverse civilizations. The SCO should work with all parties to carry out more people-to-people exchanges and dialogue, and boost cooperation in culture and tourism, so as to strengthen the bond between people from different countries, and promote mutual learning between different civilizations. China is ready to enhance cooperation with all parties in talent cultivation, joint research and high-quality education at all levels, bring free clinic "Brightness Action" to cataract patients in more countries, and deliver greater benefits to more peoples.

Through solidarity we can achieve great success, and through cooperation we can open up the future. Pakistan has assumed the chairmanship of the SCO. China will work with all parties to fully support Pakistan in carrying out its plan under the theme "Turning Vision into Action", and to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of the SCO development. Let us join hands to build a better and stronger SCO, and thus a more beautiful future for humanity.

Thank you.