Prime ministers' meeting of SCO member states opens in Beijing

• Source: Xinhua
• [16:12 October 14 2009]
• Comments

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) chairs the eighth prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

Greater practical economic and cultural cooperation is the main topic on the agenda of the eighth prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states which opened in Beijing Wednesday.

The meeting, held in the Great Hall of the People, is being chaired by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and attended by his counterparts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives from the SCO observer nations and Afghanistan.

In a series of closed-door discussions, the leaders will mainly focus on how to deepen economic and cultural pragmatic cooperation against the background of international and regional challenges.

Wen and other leaders will review progress in economic and cultural cooperation since the 7th prime ministers' meeting in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, last October.

They would also analyze international and regional situations and draw up plans for the priorities of future work based on the consensus reached at the annual summit of the SCO in Russia's Yekaterinburg in June.

Before the meeting, Wen suggested they first discuss the prime ministers' meeting schedules and then exchange views on issues related to the SCO growth.

Wen said, "I believe that the meeting will make positive results and reach the expected goals with our joint efforts."