Foreign Leaders to Convene at 14th SCO Prime Ministers' Meeting in Zhengzhou

Government leaders from six member states and other guest countries are scheduled to convene for the 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers' meeting to be held in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, this coming Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 14 and 15.

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Monday, Dec. 7, that the meeting will focus on cooperation in economy and trade, transport and people-to-people exchanges.

At the meeting, China will be expecting all SCO members to identify the most pressing tasks of regional cooperation, Hua said.

The Xinhua News Agency reported that the meeting will be held at the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang. Expected to attend the meeting are government leaders from the six member states of the SCO, which include Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariyev, Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, and First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov.

Aside from the six member states, other government leaders from India, Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia and Pakistan are also expected to attend the meeting as observers.

Representatives from international organizations, which include the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, will also be present.

According to the report, President Xi Jinping will meet various government leaders of SCO member states on the sidelines of the meeting, while Premier Li Keqiang will meet his Russian counterpart Medvedev for the 20th China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting.

Three leaders--Masimov, Medvedev and the recently appointed Sariyev--are also scheduled to make official visits to China on the sidelines of the meeting, the report added.