Beijing, 02 January 2025 (Xinhua)

China has been accelerating work related to its rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for 2025, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday.

It will host an SCO summit that highlights friendship, solidarity and fruitful results, along with over 40 institutional meetings, Mao said.

Events focusing on topics such as political parties, poverty reduction, sustainable development, and people-to-people exchanges will be held this year, in addition to an investment and trade expo, a film festival and art activities, she added.

China also unveiled the emblem for its 2024-2025 SCO rotating presidency on Thursday. It features elements of Chinese culture, including Chinese bronzeware patterns, as well as the slogan "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move" in Chinese, Russian and English.

Mao noted that as China has taken over the rotating presidency, it will make more practical and proactive moves to improve SCO cooperation in such areas as politics, security, the economy and culture, enhance the organization's operations, build an SCO community with a shared future and explore new possibilities for win-win development.

China officially released on Thursday the emblem for its tenure as the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for 2024-2025.

The emblem takes the SCO emblem as its main body combined with unique Chinese features. A slogan of the rotating presidency 'Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the move' circles around the main body in three languages of Chinese, Russian and English.

On the outer cycle of the emblem are classical patterns of cloud, thunder and dragon orientating from bronze ware of pre-Qin period (before 221 BC), interlocked in the Chinese traditional Hui-style pattern, which symbolizes an unending cycle of hope, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

According to Mao, the main colors of the emblem are the colors of earth and gold implying that SCO is solidly rooted in rich soil and enjoys a golden future.

The spokeswoman said that China is committed to taking more practical steps to further enhance SCO cooperation in politics, security, economy and people-to-people exchanges, and will be more proactive in improving SCO mechanism, building an SCO community with a shared future and opening up new space for win-win cooperation.

'As we enter the year of 2025, China is advancing its work of presidency at a faster pace. China will host a summit featuring friendship, solidarity and fruitful outcome as well as more than 40 institutionalized meetings', Mao said.

She said that China will also hold major events, including the SCO political parties forum, forum on poverty reduction, forum on people-to-people exchanges, and the forum on friendship cities, SCO international investment and trade expo.

Flagship events, including film festival, TV festival, art festival, youth innovation and entrepreneurship competition, Chinese calligraphy competition, will also be held, Mao said.

Following the Astana summit in July 2024, China has taken over the rotating presidency of the SCO for 2024-2025 and will host a summit in 2025 as is the common practice.

The SCO is the first international organization with China as a founding member state and named after a Chinese city. Since its establishment in 2001, it has followed the Shanghai Spirit, blazed a fruitful path of peaceful development, and set an example for building a new type of international relations.