This photo taken on Aug. 30, 2025 shows an exterior view of the main venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in Tianjin, north China. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

China, as one of the founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), has consistently expanded the organization's cooperation agenda and contributed to its development, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda said in a written interview with Xinhua.

Established in 2001, the SCO has followed its own path of steady development over the past 25 years, Saidmurodzoda said.

From the very beginning, the founding members reaffirmed their commitment to the goals and principles of the UN Charter, he said.

Moreover, in their first declaration, the leaders of the six founding countries also expressed their readiness to develop dialogue, contacts and cooperation in various forms with other states, as well as international and regional organizations, he recalled.

"Today, 25 years later, it can be stated with confidence that the SCO has never strayed from its originally declared goals," Saidmurodzoda stressed, noting that, in terms of territory, population and economic potential, the SCO has become the world's largest trans-regional organization.

A teacher gives operating instructions to a student at the Luban Workshop of Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College in north China's Tianjin, June 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Highlighting China's important role as a founding member, Saidmurodzoda said China has consistently contributed to the organization's development.

China has made significant contributions during each of its terms as SCO chair, helping advance cooperation in regional security, trade and economic affairs, as well as cultural and humanitarian fields, while enhancing the SCO's role and influence in regional and global affairs, he said.

Saidmurodzoda attached particular importance to the SCO Tianjin Summit, held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, 2025, under China's chairmanship.

"The summit truly turned a new page in the history of the organization," he said.

What distinguished the Tianjin Summit, he noted, was its high efficiency and focus on practical solutions and concrete agreements, with its outcomes marking important milestones in the organization's long-term development.

Specifically, Saidmurodzoda highlighted the adoption of the SCO Development Strategy until 2035 at the summit, describing it as a "roadmap" and a comprehensive action plan for the decade ahead.