Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a video meeting with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2020. (ZHANG LING / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a video meeting with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers on Wednesday.

The meeting was presided over by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who holds the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization this year, and attended by foreign ministers of member states, the Secretary-General of the SCO and the director of the Executive Committee of the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Agency.

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We must bring the 'SCO strength' to bear on winning an early victory against the virus and getting the economic and social development back on track in the region and beyond

Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister

Noting that COVID-19 infections continue to spread around the world, Wang said the SCO needs to continue championing the Shanghai spirit and the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. It needs to strengthen solidarity and coordination and act proactively.

"We must bring the 'SCO strength' to bear on winning an early victory against the virus and getting the economic and social development back on track in the region and beyond," he said.

To this end, Wang called on the SCO member states to promote solidarity and coordination and jointly win the global fight against COVID-19, promote security cooperation to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, promote cooperation of mutual benefits and pursue common development, and promote multilateralism and jointly defend and improve the international system.

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The participants expressed concern about the great impact of COVID-19 on the world's economic and social development and stressed that the international community should adhere to multilateralism, play the leading and coordinating role of the UN system, and unite to fight the pandemic.

The meeting adopted the Statement of Foreign Ministers of SCO Member States on Responding to COVID-19.