Pak, China to develop mily co-op at SCO level
From Javed Akhtar (APP)

BEIJING—Military cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) does not threaten any countries or organizations, said Jia Xiaoning, senior official of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
Addressing a Defense and Security Forum here today, he said, "Military cooperation among the SCO member states and countries with SCO observer status is not meant to build a military Alliance”.
Nearly 30 military officers from China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Iran and India are attending the 10-day forum.
Pakistan expressed its desire stepping up its interaction with China also at the level of the SCO in non-traditional security fields between the two armies. The SCO is emerging as strong forum, promoting bilateral and regional cooperation to fight against terrorism and separatism. Pakistan joined it as an observer July this year.
Jia said the SCO follows the principle of non-alliance and is open to the outside world. "Such cooperation can only deepen the trust and friendship between SCO member states, observer countries and their armies. It will not threaten any other countries and organizations," he said.
The Chinese official said that China advocates a new concept of security based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation.
The new concept is "The footstone on which the SCO is founded”, said Jia. "China holds that SCO member states and observer countries should play a leading role in regional cooperation, he said, adding, "But we also believe that it is not necessary to exclude other countries and regions. We should keep coordination with other countries and regional cooperative mechanisms”.