Defense ministers' meeting of SCO member states held in Qingdao

China

Defense ministers' meeting of SCO member states held in Qingdao

2025-06-26 15:57 Last Updated At：06-27 00:07

The Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states was held in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, on Thursday morning, with parties at the meeting calling for efforts to further consolidate military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among the SCO member states.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun hosted and addressed the meeting. Defense leaders of the SCO member countries, as well as senior officials of the SCO Secretariat and Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure attended the meeting.

The meeting is one of the important activities hosted by China as the rotating presidency of the SCO.

Parties attending the meeting delivered speeches on measures and suggestions on international and regional security situations, and defense and security cooperation, and they spoke highly of China's positive efforts and important contributions to improving the SCO operating mechanism and deepening cooperation in various aspects.

They agreed that it is necessary to further consolidate and deepen military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among the SCO member states, and implement the important initiative of building a common home of solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice, so as to make major contributions to safeguarding regional and global peace and stability, and promoting prosperity and development.

The meeting marks the first gathering of its defense ministers after the SCO admitted Belarus as its 10th member state last year.

Against the backdrop of the complicated and changing international situation, the fact that the defense ministers of the SCO member states can gather at the meeting and are willing to engage in in-depth discussions on how to strengthen practical cooperation and maintain regional security and stability is in itself a very positive signal, according to experts.

The SCO advocates solidarity and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, fully respects all parties, and provides a platform for dialog among nations in conflict, contributing to building consensus, narrowing differences and promoting solidarity, they said.

"In just over two decades, this young regional international organization has undergone three rounds of expansion. Notably, the two most recent expansions took place against an extremely complex international backdrop. The accession of Iran and Belarus as the SCO member states demonstrates that, under such challenging circumstances, the organization has further showcased its cohesion, appeal, and influence. More countries are now willing to leverage the SCO as a platform to safeguard their interests and promote regional security and stability," said Li Shuyin, researcher with the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Since its inception in China's Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialog partners.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.