ANKARA

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Beijing ahead of the meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SCO Member States, official Xinhua News reported.

The annual summit is being held in northern Tianjian city.

Xi, in his remarks, said that over the past 24 years since its founding, the SCO has always upheld the "Shanghai Spirit," grown into a mature and robust organization, and demonstrated strong vitality.

China, he added, has always prioritized the SCO in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is committed to making the organization more substantive and stronger, safeguarding regional security and stability, promoting the development and prosperity of member states and building a closer community with a shared future.

In the face of a turbulent and changing international landscape, he further said, the SCO "must stay focused, remain confident, act efficiently and play a more proactive role in injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world."

*Writing by Aamir Latif