The SCO, which groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, was founded in June 2001 to mainly address the security issues among China and central Asian nations, said Sun Zhuangzhi, secretary-general of the SCO Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

    "These issues had to be settled through multilateral cooperation," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview ahead of the SCO summit meeting to be held in Shanghai on Thursday.

    These central Asian nations, locked in the Euroasia hinterland, were also seeking faster economic growth through such cooperation, he added. "The aspiration to enhance cooperation with China was another catalyst for these countries to join the SCO."

    Closer cooperation with China was expected to link these inland countries with the Pacific and eventually the world market at large, said Sun.

    Reviewing the SCO's development over the past five years, Sun spoke highly of the SCO prime ministers' meeting in Beijing in 2003, which listed economy and security as the two key areas of cooperation and "two wheels" to drive the mechanism.

    In 2004, the organization ushered in a new era of stable development and all-round cooperation, said Sun. That year marked the establishment of the SCO Beijing Secretariat and the regional anti-terrorism center in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent and the acceptance of Mongolia as the first SCO observer.

    The organization has since gained a stronger influence in the international arena. To date, it has forged cooperation with many international organizations including the United Nations, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Community.

    To maintain the SCO's development momentum, Sun said it is necessary to expand the common interests of its member economies and enhance their mutual trust and respect for cultural diversity.

    "On the other hand, the SCO's openness, transparency and its commitment not to target at any third party will create a sound external environment for its further development," he said.

    Thursday's events will be a gathering of the heads of state of six SCO member countries at the Shanghai International Convention Center in the booming Pudong New District.

    The presidents are expected to review the organization's achievements in the past five years, outline objectives for future cooperation and exchange ideas on major international and regional issues.

    The summit will pass an SCO declaration and endorse a series of documents, including one on building a new security concept and one on information security, according to SCO Secretary-General Zhang Deguang.

    According to an agreement of the member countries, the summit will see participants from the four observer countries as well as the countries and international organizations which have established cooperative relations with the SCO. Enditem