SCO members to enhance cooperation against security challenges

QINGDAO - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states will enhance cooperation in face of the challenges of terrorism, drugs, organized cross-border crime and information security threats, a Chinese official said Friday.

The organization is drawing up measures to tackle these challenges, Liao Jinrong, head of the international cooperation department with the Ministry of Public Security, said at a press conference ahead of the 18th SCO summit to be held in Qingdao on Saturday and Sunday.

Terrorism is the most severe security challenge the SCO faces. Over the past years, the SCO member states have jointly made achievements in deterring terrorist attacks and arresting members of international terrorist organizations, he said.

Besides continuously fighting against "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, the SCO members have been cooperating in terms of drug control, cracking down on cross-border crime, safeguarding information security and enhancing border controls, according to Liao.

The upcoming summit will be the first SCO summit after India and Pakistan were accepted as full members in June 2017 at the Astana summit in Kazakhstan.

As India and Pakistan both have rich experience in maintaining security and combating crime, their entry will enhance the development potential and expand the room for cooperation between SCO members in terms of security, Liao said.

After the entry, the SCO will be able to better respond to new expectations in the security domain from people within the region and the international community, he said.

Security will be one of the major topics at this summit, which will analyze international and regional security situations and discuss concrete measures to enhance cooperation, he added.

"We expect that documents on fighting terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as drug control, will be deliberated at the summit," Liao said.

Participants of the summit will discuss about issues including information security, combating cross-border crime and the construction of permanent bodies to ensure law enforcement security, he said.