SCO fosters partnership through open dialogue with member states: deputy general

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is not a military-political bloc, but instead remains open to member states for dialogue and further cooperation, fostering a spirit of partnership in the region, said Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Yermykbayev in Kazakhastan's capital Astana.

Yermykbayev made the remarks days ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO to be held in Astana on Thursday.

"We're optimistic about the prospects of the SCO and are aware that geopolitical and geo-economic landscapes are changing, as new types of relations are being fostered. A multipolar world based on the principle of equality is gradually taking shape. We hold the vision based on the security principles featuring unity and indivisibility, and respect for the diversity of civilizations and cultures in the SCO region," he said.

According to Yermykbayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind carries great significance and creates synergy within the SCO to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among member states.

"The SCO member states speak highly of and support the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward by President Xi Jinping. It was fully affirmed at the New Delhi [SCO] Summit last year. All attendees agreed to reach a common vision on it and contribute to the building of a new type of international relations. This initiative is in line with the goals and tasks of the SCO and underlines the importance of solidarity and collaboration to achieve shared goals. The SCO is not a military-political bloc, nor does it belong to any alliance of blocs. It is open for dialogue to everyone, rather than targeting anyone," Yermykbayev said.

SCO fosters partnership through open dialogue with member states: deputy general

SCO fosters partnership through open dialogue with member states: deputy general

Rescue operations are in full swing on Saturday after a dike breach in central China's Hunan Province on Friday afternoon.

A dike of the Dongting Lake burst in Tuanzhou Township, Yueyang City's Huarong County Friday afternoon, causing flooding in the area. All the local people affected have been safely evacuated.

Rescue forces have been working tirelessly, using heavy machinery to place stones along both ends of the dike to seal the gap. The work was still in progress as of 18:00 on Saturday.

"We are using a combination of bidirectional blocking and stone dumping by ships to close the breach. This is a massive task, requiring about 100,000 cubic meters of materials to seal and restore the dike. We will resolutely follow the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and make every effort to carry out rescue operations to effectively protect the lives and property of the people," said Ji Zhigang, director of the Water Resources Bureau of Huarong County.

A total of 5,755 affected residents have been evacuated in the first time by more than 2,300 rescuers. The residents received 5,000 family emergency kits from the disaster relief, emergency management, and material reserve authorities, and have been transfered to resettlement sites equipped with essential supplies.

"We have food and drink here, such as eight-ingredient porridge, egg cakes, and mineral water. We arrived at the resettlement point at 5:00 in the morning," said an evacuated resident named Bai Yunlan.

Local authorities have also deployed more than 3,000 personnel to reinforce a dike about nine kilometers away from the broken one.

The Ministry of Water Resources has dispatched an expert team to help managing the crisis, and held a flood prevention meeting on Saturday to analyze current situation.

Rescue operations, relief efforts in full swing after Dongting dike breach