Third, continue to advance practical cooperation and raise the capability for sustainable development in all aspects. The SCO should continue increasing inter-connectivity of transport, energy, telecommunications and other infrastructure in the region and advancing free trade arrangements. It should step up macroeconomic monitoring, expand the use of local currencies in trade settlement, and establish special accounts and development banks. It should put in place cooperation mechanisms for energy and food security, spur innovation in science and technology and strengthen cooperation in the non-resources sectors and areas essential to people's well-being. It should work harder to find driving forces for addressing future crises and promoting sustainable development.

Fourth, continue to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to cement and carry forward traditional friendship to future generations. The SCO should enrich the lives of the people in this region by developing networks of education and medical services, intensifying cultural and youth exchanges and conducting cooperation in tourism and sports. China supports the establishment of an SCO early-warning and disaster relief center to strengthen disaster rescue and relief capabilities. Last year, 50 injured Kyrgyz children received traditional Chinese therapy for rehabilitation in Sanya, Hainan Province, and the results were satisfactory. It is important for the SCO to set up a long-term public health demonstration project of using traditional medicine for rehabilitation and treatment of patients, especially children patients.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As a founding member of the SCO, China has always placed high importance on and taken an active part in the development of the organization. Over the past 10 years, China has increased its input in SCO political, economic and cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges and worked actively to improve its institutions. It has provided several big credit supports for the implementation of multilateral transport, energy, telecommunications network projects and the efforts against the international financial crisis, and helped to train various professionals of other SCO member states, making real contribution to the common development of all member states. China's policy towards the SCO is a strategic choice made in light of the shared interests of all member states and will not change because of any single event at a particular time. China expects all parties to make new and historic decisions at the upcoming summit. We believe that this summit will be a full success with concerted efforts of all member states.

After the Astana Summit in June, China will take on the rotating Chairmanship of the SCO. In the following year, we will stay in close communication with all other member states to carefully design the plan for the year and meticulously prepare for and organize major events. We will put forward ideas and initiatives on SCO cooperation in various fields and vigorously promote practical cooperation between member states. By doing so, we hope to kick off a good start for the development of the organization in the next 10 years.

We hope that today's Lanting Forum will benefit from your wisdom and strength, sum up past experience and on that basis draw a blueprint for SCO's future development. I wish to once again thank all the diplomatic envoys, experts, scholars, and representatives from various sectors for attending today's event. The Foreign Ministry will keep in close contact and communication with you to listen to your valuable suggestions, which, we believe, will help the SCO grow more robustly and conduct its cooperation more fruitfully.

We are confident that with concerted efforts of all parties, the SCO will hold out immense prospects of development.

Thank you.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)