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QINGDAO, June 6-- With the forthcoming summit -- the first after a membership expansion to include India and Pakistan last year, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is set to play a more influential and substantial role in promoting regional security, peace and prosperity. The key diplomatic event, which runs from June 9 to 10 in east China's coastal city of Qingdao, occurs at a time when the world is in need of concerted action to address challenges and threats ranging from regional conflicts to spreading terrorism, from populism to unilateralism, and must advance economic globalization and improve global governance to benefit all. FRUITFUL INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION Established in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has developed into a comprehensive regional organization, which actively plays a constructive role in regional and international affairs. The SCO accounts for over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass, nearly half of the world's population and over 20 percent of global GDP. The most populous regional organization has eight member states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as four observer states and six dialogue partners. Member states have steadily carried out fruitful institutional cooperation in fields such as security, economy and people-to-people exchanges, with a number of important documents adopted. The "Shanghai Spirit" of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development, stated in the SCO Charter, has been consistently upheld by all members to pursue pragmatic cooperation. | 
