SCO promotes solidarity, shared progress: Kyrgyz PM

China

SCO promotes solidarity, shared progress: Kyrgyz PM

2024-06-22 15:21 Last Updated At：20:37

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is dedicated to promoting solidarity of its member states and providing a collective defense against any unwanted interference from external powers, said Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov in Leaders Talk aired on Friday.

Leaders Talk is China Media Group (CMG)'s flagship talk show where global leaders and thinkers share their perceptive insights on today's political landscape.

When China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan founded the SCO in June 2001, its primary mission was to build mutual trust, safeguard trans-border security and boost anti-terrorism cooperation, a focus that has proved to be strikingly visionary in the wake of the Cold War.

This organization was founded in the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development.

As the SCO Summit is scheduled to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, later this year, Japarov said he looks forward to seeing the regional organization stays committed to protecting its member states from external interference and ensuring more economic growth among them, which is also the values of the Shanghai Spirit in this day and age.

"It is the Shanghai Spirit that unites its member states, safeguarding them against any inappropriate actions from outside powers. We look forward to economic progress among all SCO members and ensure that no country is left behind. This year's summit will be held in Kazakhstan, next year in China, and in 2026, we will host the summit in Kyrgyzstan," the prime minister said.

Chinese navy's hospital ship "Peace Ark" sets sail for port calls across Indian Ocean

2024-06-28 11:47 Last Updated At：12:37

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" set sail on Wednesday for a new round of port calls and charity care services across the Indian Ocean.

The Peace Ark hospital ship, known as Heping Fangzhou in Chinese, is the country's first standard ocean-going hospital ship and the world's first 10,000-ton-level professional hospital ship.

It departed from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on the morning of June 16 for Mission Harmony-2024.

During its voyage, the Peace Ark encountered strong gales and torrential rain, which reduced visibility and caused three-meter high waves. Despite these challenging meteorological conditions, the mission crew conducted training exercises for maritime rescue, situation response, and helicopter operations.

"We will organize training sessions for maritime medical treatment and hospital transfers, drills for zoning damage control areas, and the entire maritime hospital process in the coming days. These drills will continuously enhance the capacity of our armed forces to navigate the ocean, laying a solid foundation for fulfilling the mission," said Zhang Yi, a crew member of Mission Harmony-2024.

During the mission, the ship will visit 13 countries including Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Africa, and offer charity care services to local residents, people of Chinese institutions, and overseas Chinese. It will also make port calls to France and Greece.