CCTV: Over the weekend, China announced that it will host the Meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council. Could you share with us the program and China’s expectation of the meeting? 

Lin Jian: As the rotating president of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for 2024-2025, China will host the SCO summit in Tianjin later this fall. The upcoming Meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council will make political preparation for the Tianjin summit, and be chaired by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Foreign ministers of SCO member states will exchange views on SCO cooperation in various areas and major international and regional issues, and resolutions and documents will be signed at the meeting.

Through the upcoming meeting, China will work with all parties to act on the slogan of China’s SCO presidency “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move,” as well as President Xi Jinping’s important proposal of building a common home of the SCO featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, and fairness and justice. China will work with all parties to pool more consensus and adopt more measures for cooperation, so as to make the Tianjin summit a great success and usher in a new stage of high-quality development for the SCO.

PTI: Any briefing regarding the SCO foreign ministers’ conference? Any media briefing today or tomorrow?

Lin Jian: For specific information on how the meeting will go, we will release information in due course and please stay tuned.

Beijing Daily: In the early morning of July 14, Beijing time, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu released a statement through his special adviser, announcing the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari who passed away that day in London. What’s China’s comment?

Lin Jian: Former President Muhammadu Buhari was a preeminent leader. He led his country and the people of Nigeria to great achievement in national development. President Buhari was a dear friend of the Chinese people, and made important contribution to China-Nigeria friendship, cooperation and overall bilateral ties. 

We mourn for President Buhari’s passing and offer our deepest sympathies to the government and people of Nigeria and to his family.