The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will surely build up strong momentum for upholding world peace and development, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.
Mao made the remarks in response to a question about the summit.
The 24th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State was held in Astana on Thursday. President Xi Jinping attended the Meeting upon invitation, and delivered the important statement titled Joining Hands to Build a More Beautiful Home of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mao said.
"During the Meeting, President Xi had in-depth exchanges of views with leaders of other countries on global and regional issues of common concern, through which the leaders drew a blueprint and charted the course for SCO going forward with a series of consensus reached. Over 20 documents were adopted at the summit, including the Astana Declaration, the SCO initiative on world unity for justice, harmony and development, and the statement on the principles of good-neighborliness, trust and partnership. In particular, the Astana Declaration underscores adherence to the Shanghai Spirit, and reaffirms the commitments to building a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for mankind. The Declaration represents the common aspiration for greater solidarity and cooperation among SCO member states, and sends the positive message of the SCO shouldering the missions of the new era, and braving risks and challenges together for security and development. The summit delivered fruitful outcomes, gave a strong boost to the development of the SCO, and showcased the increasing appeal and influence of the SCO," she said.
"Amidst changes of historical significance across the world, President Xi Jinping development trend in the world, and stands at the strategic height of long-term development of humanity with a global vision and people-centered philosophy. He underscored the importance of having the wisdom to see the changes, the ability to deal with the changes, and the courage to make changes to cope with the major transformation. President Xi pointed out that the SCO region is facing the triple risks of the Cold War mentality, 'small yard with high fences,' and external interference and attempts to divide our region. He went on to provide three recommendations to address each of the risks, namely to hold the bottom line of security, safeguard the right to development, and cement solidarity. He called on all parties to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, and work together to keep the SCO on the right course forward. As President Xi stressed, countries in the SCO need to bear in mind that they live in a community with a shared future, always uphold the Shanghai Spirit, and stay firmly on the development paths that suit their respective national conditions and regional realities. He advocated building the SCO's common home of solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice," she said.
"President Xi Jinping's important speech was well received. The participants at the summit expect China to lend fresh impetus for the SCO as it takes over the presidency of the organization. They stressed that they will stay committed to the SCO, further tap into the potential for cooperation, fully expand and deepen cooperation, and ensure the outcomes of cooperation can be better delivered to the people. We are convinced that the SCO members will follow the trend of the times, move forward together in solidarity and cooperation to realize the aspirations of our people for a better life and jointly build up strong momentum for upholding world peace and development," Mao said.
SCO to build up strong momentum for upholding world peace, development: spokeswoman
Autistic children are experiencing a transformation in their lives with the introduction of assistance dogs, which give them not only companionship but also invaluable support.
Xuan Xuan was diagnosed with autism not long after his second birthday. He didn't speak, nor respond to other people.
Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. The prevalence rate of autism among children in China, as reported by the National Health Commission, has reached seven per 1,000 people.
When Xuan Xuan was seven, the boy's condition changed dramatically after dog Harry came to live with the family.
Harry is a three-year-old black Labrador, trained at the Erxing Shanghai Guide and Assistant Dogs School to aid autistic people.
Yu Kai, Xuan Xuan's father, is very gratified after seeing Xuan Xuan's change since Harry came into his life.
"When Xuan Xuan displays stereotyped behaviors, Harry comes and touches him to distract his attention. Xuan Xuan used to immerse himself in playing electronic devices at home, and we had no choice but to allow him to do so. However, since Harry came to our house, Xuan Xuan [has given up playing with electronic devices] and now plays with Harry instead. Sometimes at home, Harry even carries a toy in the mouth to Xuan Xuan to play with," Yu said.
Harry often accompanies Xuan Xuan to his special kindergarten and plays with him after school. Two months after the dog appeared on the scene, Xuan Xuan's mother Gong Minglu saw significant differences in her son.
"When children talk about 'My Little Pony' or 'Ultraman', Xuan Xuan can't participate in the conversation. However, whenever Harry accompanies him to kindergarten, many children circle around to play with him all the time," Gong said.
"Even if he only makes a little progress compared to the day before, we are genuinely happy," she said.
After six to 10 months' training, assistance dogs not only required to master 17 basic commands such as sitting, standing up, and following, but also many advanced commands such as anchoring, deep hugging, and comforting.
While the assistance dogs bring warmth to children with autism, some netizens raise concerns about the dogs' treatment. Some worry that the dogs cannot drink or eat at the proper times when they are serving children.
"At home, if it wants to drink water, it will go to drink water. When it wants to defecate, it will sniff or drag us, letting us know what it wants to do," Gong said.
Some people point out that the children may hurt the dogs. However, Gong argued that parents would stop their children before they really hurt the dogs.
"The child may not be able to control his hand strength when touching the dog, which I admit. At that time, parents should intervene to control both the dogs and the children, and prevent their children from hurting the dog," said Gong.
"Children often can't control their strength and don't really mean to hurt the dog. The dog typically reacts in ways that remind the children to stop their behavior, which has a positive effect on their intervention," said Wang Chunsun, a dog trainer at the Erxing Dogguides.
Each assistance dog would serve a child for eight years. After it retires, the child has the privilege to adopt the dog first.
"The dog can only work for eight years. After it retires, if we want to adopt it, we are first in line. A few years before its service expires, we can apply for another assistance dog for our child," Gong said.
Harry is one of the first batch of professional autism assistance dogs under the "Healing Dogs for Star Children" initiative.
The initiative aims to enhance the lives of families with autistic children by providing specially trained assistance dogs.
The project received support from the Chinese Relief and Development Foundation, Hello the Paw, and Erxing Dogguides, organizations dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray animals as well as training and breeding guide dogs for visually impaired individuals.
"I often check the applications in our system. I see many patients visit our system frequently, expressing their anxiety and worries. They often say that we cannot afford to wait longer as our child is getting older, and the effectiveness of intervention would be weaker," said Chen Qiang, person in charge of the "Healing Dogs for Star Children" initiative.
In Foshan City, south China's Guangdong Province, 12-year-old Lu Lu is waiting for an assistance dog can comfort her.
Lu Lu's grandmother mentioned that without an assistance dog to prevent Lu Lu from wandering away, they sometimes have to tie her with a rope.
"I'm with her all day long, but I still cannot prevent her from wandering away. [One day, when she went missing,] we had to call the police for help. She runs fast, so we have to tie her with a rope because I am old and cannot catch up with her. If she gets a dog, she cannot run away," said Dong Zhihua, Lu Lu's grandmother.
Chen said that Dong is the first batch of applicants for assistance dog, but unfortunately, Lu Lu didn't find a suitable match.
One day, Chen visited Lu Lu with a dog under training named Bao Bao. Although Bao Bao hasn't qualified for the job, the workers of the project want to find whether Bao Bao is a suitable dog for Lu Lu.
Fortunately, Lu Lu and Bao Bao like each other very much. After a couple of months of training, Lu Lu may have a dog that can prevent her from wandering away and provide comfort.
"Even if there is a little hope, we will help Lu Lu to seize it," said Chen.
Autistic children embrace new life with accompany of assistant dog
