Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on member states to uphold unity, cooperation, inclusiveness and openness to further strive for a solid and strengthened Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while attending the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Through 23 years of joint efforts, the SCO has become a security barrier, a bridge of cooperation, a bond of friendship and a constructive force in the region, Wang said.

Noting that a few countries pursue hegemony and power politics and engage in interference and suppression, Wang said their purpose is to suppress the strategic independence of the "Global South" and block the path to revitalization of emerging markets and developing countries. 

He called on SCO member states to uphold the "Shanghai Spirit" and work together to safeguard their common interests, respond to various challenges, and safeguard fairness and justice.

To that end, Wang put forward four proposals.

First, he called for upholding strategic independence as well as maintaining unity and cooperation.

He said the SCO member states should respect each other's core interests, resolve conflicts and differences through dialogue and firmly hold their destiny and the region's peace and development in their own hands.

Wang called for efforts to never allow external forces to turn the region into a geopolitical arena.

Second, he urged member states to uphold common security and elevate the level of coordination. China is willing to work with all parties to improve the SCO's mechanism for responding to security threats and challenges, deepen security exchanges and cooperation, and enhance the overall security level of the region, he said.

Third, Wang called for adhering to universal benefits, win-win results and empowering cooperative development. 

Wang said China is ready to work with all parties to promote the high-quality alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the member states' development strategies and create more development opportunities to benefit more people.

Fourth, he called for upholding openness and inclusiveness, as well as deepening exchanges and mutual learning to consolidate the social and public-opinion foundation for friendship from generation to generation.

As China advances high-level opening up and high-quality development, the SCO member states have always been important partners, Wang said, pledging to advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Speaking highly of the role and development achievements of the SCO, the foreign ministers of the participating countries called for efforts to tap into the potential for cooperation, strengthen cooperation in the political, economic and security fields, promote connectivity, and achieve common development and prosperity.

They condemned all forms of terrorism and agreed to strengthen efforts to combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Before the meeting, the foreign ministers of participating states observed a moment of silence for the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

While attending the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Wang also met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and its Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.