The world is facing a growing crisis of global governance. Protectionism, unilateralism and power politics are throttling international cooperation just as mounting global challenges demand it most.
Against this backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at last year’s “Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus” Meeting, calling for a more just and equitable system of global governance.
The SCO offers a practical answer. Over the past 25 years, it has demonstrated how countries with different political systems, development paths and civilizations can work together.
Guided by the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, the SCO’s 25-year practice offers a vivid illustration of the five principles of the Global Governance Initiative — adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions.
These principles are reflected in the SCO’s increasingly institutionalized cooperation across a wide range of sectors. With regional security and stability at the heart of its original mission, SCO countries have committed themselves to long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation based on equality, consultation and respect for diversity.
Customs officers check the operation of the freight trains at the multi-modal transport center of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, Aug. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
The establishment of four new security-focused centers demonstrated the SCO’s emphasis on translating multilateral consensus into concrete action. Cooperation among SCO countries has helped thwart more than 1,400 terrorism- and extremism-related incidents in the past 25 years, while the organization has conducted over 40 joint counter-terrorism exercises and operations.
The SCO’s approach to security also reflects a broader understanding among SCO countries that lasting security cannot be separated from political trust, economic development and people-to-people exchanges.
The launch of seven China-SCO cooperation platforms covering green industry, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, energy, higher education, vocational and technical education, and artificial intelligence further underscores the emphasis on shared development with people-centered outcomes.
Through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and closer alignment of development strategies, SCO members have seen positive momentum in both foreign trade and intra-SCO commerce. Calculations based on World Trade Organization data showed the total volume of goods imports and exports of the ten members reached about 8.88 trillion U.S. dollars in 2025.
Projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the Silk Road e-commerce service hub and the SCO university network are further turning connectivity into tangible benefits, making it easier for people across SCO countries to travel, trade, study and access broader economic opportunities.
People-to-people exchange activities have also become an important pillar of SCO cooperation. Through institutionalized dialogue and expanded interaction, differences in history, culture and civilization can be turned into sources of mutual understanding and cooperation.
Beyond the region, the SCO has played an active role in upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, contributing to the settlement of regional and international issues and promoting coordination among multilateral mechanisms.
The SCO Plus format has further broadened the space for dialogue among the Global South, facilitating exchanges in governance experience and practical cooperation.
Over the past decades, the SCO has shown that diversity need not lead to division, and that countries with different political systems, development paths, and civilizations can cooperate on equal footing without butting heads.
Looking ahead, the SCO is well positioned to bolster high-quality regional development and contribute more wisdom to building a more just and equitable global governance system.
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